Hey, folks. I've been lurking around here for a while, and I've been interested in getting a snake since last August or so, just haven't followed through and actually went for it yet. But in the meantime I've read these forums front to back, picking up information and learning myself but good in preparation for getting a BP. I'd like to say I now know enough to jump into this by myself, with no advisory, and maybe I'm just slightly slow at picking up information and adding two plus two, but there's tons of different and opposing bouts of advice and information on this site, and I'm having trouble deciding the best route to take. Basically, I just want to do this right. I understand that BPs are quite fragile and need to be taken care of in a certain way, and it's all a little overwhelming actually. So, the purpose of this thread is to hopefully get me setup nicely and instill a bit of assurance in my ability.

Firstly, after mulling over the technicalities (and cost), I've decided I'm going to take the tub route. Also, I'm not currently equipped with enough green to make a state of the arch enclosure with the best accouterments and such, so I'd really like to do this as cheaply as possible (under $150, snake included). So, for a tub, being made for a baby BP, I would need exactly these bare basics: (You fill in this part.)

The next thing is I'm not sure where to get the BP. I'm not sure of any breeders around here, or how I'd go about finding any. There are a few good shops around here that sell them. One being PetCo (don't know much about them, but they look more respectable than a lot of the others), and a local place called The Aquatic Critter, which is a very fine establishment that focuses only on exotic fish, and exotic reptiles. I've checked them out, and I can get a baby BP, captive-bred, for $50 (if it's purchased during breeding season). Is that good? Or would I be better off tracking down a breeder? Any help would be very much appreciated, as I'm getting quite ancy to get the ball rolling, so to speak. Thanks all.