Sumatran Short Tail - Right For Me?

[Ivylovessnakes]

Hey! It's been a while since I last made any kind of post here.

After a long time of bouncing between various corn/king snakes, ball pythons, and larger boas, I think I've finally settled on my "dream" snake: P. curtis, or the Sumatran Short Tail. Specifically, a male with a normal appearance, but I'll take a cheap morph if I can get one so as long as the individual is well-tempered.

Being a beginner, I know the pythons related to bloods are not recommended; however, my reasoning for choosing this snake specifically is because I only intend on ever owning one snake that matches what I've always loved about them. I do not want to get a beginner snake that I'm vaguely interested in and am not sure I'll put my heart and soul into; If I'm getting a snake, it's going to be one snake and one snake that I'll be dedicating myself to, and one that I deeply admire from the start. Other reasons go as follows:
- They are large without being uncontrollable; bigger than a ball python but smaller than a redtail
- They are thick-bodied and heavy without being too long.
- According to what I've been reading, they prefer simple setups
- Some are described as "lap snakes"- I know it depends on the individual, but "lap snake" fits the bill of everything I want in a large python. A cool critter to chill with.

I know their husbandry can be tough to beginners, so I intend on practicing with keeping stable humidity and temps in a setup before I ever get the animal. And, with all the research I've been doing, here's what I'm still unsure about:

Would it be acceptable to use a large, plastic tote for the enclosure? I planned on going with what Reptiles Magazine described- a Christmas tree storage bin (52x20x12) modified to be an enclosure. And, If I use this, what would be the ideal way to give it ventilation? Should I add a thin screen to the lid, or should I make holes with a soldering iron? And what would be the ideal way to head this setup? (I'm guessing uth)

And, last but not least, I'd love to hear just about anything from people with experience. Temperaments, enclosures, where to buy, cute stories, the whole deal. I'm very open to getting more info about these snakes now that I've actually chosen what kind I want.