Tank set up help

I'm an avid snake lover who over obsessing over BPs for a year finally decided to get one. I visited some reptile shows but didn't really find anything I liked. Upon visiting a local reptile store a simple young normal took a hold of my heart for some reason. (Never really noticed normals before) She wasn't eating properly so they told me they weren't going to sell her until she was healthy. (This and a few other things leads me to believe they can be trusted as they do care for their animals. )

I kept visiting and she's been on my mind for weeks, I have a very low paying job but I've been saving up and recently when I went in they had started trying to sell her to people. Impulsively I slapped down half of her cost and asked them if I Could come back when I have a home set up for her.

So I went out and bought a locking tub that is quite similar to what she's in now at the store and a hide, thinking to use paper towels as a substrate. The tub is 12Inch wide, 14inch Long and 5inch deep. It has a lid that has clamps on it as I don't have the means or the need to build a rack.

So here are my questions,

I'm too terrified to use any lesser brands then herpstat because of what I've been reading. However I feel like they are overkill for a simple set up. What Herpstat do I get? Or is there a brand that doesn't fail "ON"?

Will this tub be able to keep the humidity high enough? Do I need to pay a lot for a humidity meter? Is there brands that people recommend?

What kind of heat tape do I get? The store themselves sells "rainforest" edition by Exo-Terra but I have no idea how this works and my research is not going well! (Edit: I have also found this http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultrath...ter-uth-6-x-35 but buying online has a lot of hassles..)

Basically I'm okay with paying the money I need to but I don't want to go overboard and buy useless stuff for a basic set up. If any of this is wrong please do tell me before I bring her home! I really wanna give this BP the best in life but every bodies advice is for having a wall of them. I'm sorry if so many of these come up but I'm so nervous about doing this incorrectly!

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Originally Posted by Sapphirescript

I'm too terrified to use any lesser brands then herpstat because of what I've been reading. However I feel like they are overkill for a simple set up. What Herpstat do I get?

I love my Herpstats, its all I use. I would say get the Herpstat1. It has enough features that as you get more involved you will still be happy with your tstat.

Will this tub be able to keep the humidity high enough? Do I need to pay a lot for a humidity meter? Is there brands that people recommend?

Its honestly hard to find good reliable readers and a cheap price. Many use the Accurite units as they can provide your hot spot temp, ambient, and humidity in one unit. They are $12-15 online. As for the humidity in a tub. They usually hold humidity great. Start off with just a few holes and go from there until you get it dialed in. Only add a couple at a time and give it a good time between to measure the difference made. It doesn't happen fast. The same should be said when changing the tstat temperature.

What kind of heat tape do I get? The store themselves sells "rainforest" edition by Exo-Terra but I have no idea how this works and my research is not going well! (Edit: I have also found this http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultrath...ter-uth-6-x-35 but buying online has a lot of hassles..)

I have a many kinds and I really like the ultratherm style. You should be happy with that. The exoterra one you linked is not what you want.

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Your on the right track of doing things right the first time. That's a breath of fresh air. Good luck!

Thank you so much! I'm glad to have other people's input on this as it gives me more peace of mind!

Show us some pics of your normal (when you get her) and setup! Normals are beutiful ball pythons, and they are also my favourite of all the morphs! Good luck with her too!