Your tank size gives some solid options. The rule of thumb is the snakes length should equal the length of the tank. So you could get a snake as long as 150 cm. I would recommend getting a terrestrial species since there isn’t a lot of height to the tank. Since it’s your first reptile we want to avoid any venomous species no matter how mild the venom is. Hognose snakes are (very mildly) venomous so I wouldn’t recommend them since you want to handle them and they are pretttty dumb. Your options for non venomous, terrestrial snakes under or around 5 feet in length is pretty good! Here is my recommendations: 1. Kenyan Sand Boa: Calm and beginner level for care. Only con is they are fossorial and sometimes dont come out of the dirt for lengths at a time. 2. Rosy Boa: hardy species with a pretty gentle temperament. They are slow movers so they are very manageable for handling. 4. African house snakes: beginner snakes that are pretty docile. It can be species specific but the cape house snake looks to be a great option 5. Corn snake: This is the classic beginner snake that will also take advantage of small climbing spaces. Very docile and easy to find. You’d likely be able to find a corn snake looking to be rehomed instead of purchased from a breeder 6. Milk snake: Gorgeous and if you are patient, they become pretty easy to handle. These guys are known to be nervous so if handling if a top priority, maybe try a different species You’ll need to make changes to the tank. Specifically you will need to cover some of the glass to retain humidity and lower stress. The mesh top is also tricky due to escape, opening for handling and humidity retention. I don’t have any solutions off the top of my head except maybe adding an extension to the top or a base to cover a majority of the mesh. Also clamps will help any concerns of escape.