I know @creaturesofnightshade has them lol. I am really considering these wonderful snakes as my next pet/pos project in the future. I have researched their care and found the there seems to be some differing opinions on their needs. The main thing I am wondering about is the temp of their hotspot as some sources say 88* and others say higher even to 95 or as low as 80*. I have also looked at their geographic range and it’s weather to see if that would help make sense of the variance in the info. Besides that this is what I have come up with.
With all my snakes regardless of species, I feel out their hotspot based on behavior. Rattlesnakes for instance are suggested to have a 100* hotspot in a lot of people’s opinion. I’ve found that even after a meal, they’re usually sitting out of the direct heat, right at 87-88*
My temperature gradient matches the one you plan to provide. The only exception for a slightly higher temperature threshold (I don’t go above 90°F) would be if you provided a basking spot using a low-wattage UVA + UVB bulb that they will typically use for short periods of time throughout the daylight hours. I only provide basking spots for my subadults and adults though, my juveniles are provided with natural sunlight that peeks into their enclosure. Hope this helps!
I would strongly suggest reaching out to Zac Loughman, he has scores of the and is very happy to talk care and keeping. You can find him on a few different podcasts as well, MPR, THP, S&S, C&C…