hey!! i'm a newbie to snake owning and this forum but i've read a lot of threads here and everyone seems so informed and nice! anyways my parents agreed to getting me a baby ball python (not sure what morph yet) for my 15th birthday which is super exciting since i've been wanting one for so long. i'm getting him/her in 2 months!! i've been doing a lot of research and shopping to prepare and i was wondering if you guys could help look through the products i want to buy and answer a few questions? *i apologize for the length of this in advance lolol


Shopping List
$40.99 - 10 gal. Grreat Choice Terrarium - 20x10x12 in.
$13.99 - 24 QT Zoo Med Aspen Bedding$19.99 - 11 x 11 In. Ultratherm UTH
$10.98 - 2 Exo Terra Reptile Caves - Medium - 9x6x2.5 in.
$11.32 - 2? Exo Terra Water Dishes - Medium - 3.75x5x1.5 in.
$28.23 - Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat
~$20 - 2 AcuRite Digital Humidity and Temperature Monitors
$9.99 - Exo Terra Reptile Terrarium Background
$7.99 - Underground Reptiles Frozen Hopper Mice - 10 Pack


Possible/Future Things to Buy:
$6.99 - 50 Watt Exo Terra Heat Glo Infrared Spot Lamp, 120 Volt
$12.20 - Zilla Premium Reflector Dome
$2.45 - 2 cu. ft. Cypress Mulch


^^ does this seem okay?


Questions:
I really don't wanna mess up my first time owning a snake so I have a lot of questions sorry! ^^;
- i read on a stickied post that i should feed hoppers for the first 3-5 meals. 10 frozen hoppers is the lowest bulk quantity i can find so would it be okay to feed my snake hoppers for 10 meals? i just don't want to waste them...
- should i get a 2nd water bowl? i see some people have one on the warm side and one on the cool side, but other people just have one.
- could i just have 2 temp/humidity monitors in the tank or should i have probes?
- so i know that my bp needs privacy so i plan on covering the back of the tank with the exo terra background and covering the 2 adjacent sides with like black paper or something. is that sufficient enough for it?
- how long would i be able to use the 10 gallon until i upgrade? and when i upgrade, should i just dive into a 30-40 gallon?
- do i need a heat lamp for a 10 gallon tank?
- approx what length is a 100 gram bp?
- once i do get a heat lamp, should i get day/night bulbs? is a day/night cycle necessary?
- how often will i need to clean the hides? how often will i need to fully clean the tank and replace substrate and stuff?
- after waiting a week after my snake arrives, how often/much would be advised to handle it? i want to handle it as much as possible as a baby to get it used to it but i don't want to stress them :/


lol those are the only questions i can think up right now
if anyone could help answer a few at least that would be really appreciated! thanks so much