I will just mention the need for a hide area again, hondos seem to really prefer being hidden, especially when young and he may be choosing to be close to the water dish because he can press himself up next to it and feel secure. They like a tight spot - for cheap hides you can just use cardboard boxes (Kraft Dinner comes to mind) or if you prefer something a bit nicer - we use inexpensive dog dishes (couple bucks each) that have a hole in the side so the snake can crawl underneath. The weight of the water makes the dish stable and they can cram themselves inside. I would put one on the cool end and one on the warm end, or add a tubular hide (paper towel tube or PVC pipe) that extends the full length of the tank from the cool to warm end and let him choose his best temp, and still feel secure.
Most of our colubrids have a body temp of about 85 degrees, so they feel a bit cool to the touch since our body temp is about 98 degrees.
pic of the dog dish and tubular hides we use
and an adult tangerine hondo (they change color a lot as they age).
Looking forward to seeing the photo of your new one,
mary v.
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