I contacted my area reptile rescue. The lady I spoke with was really great. I went to an expo to meet her and the 3 young BPs she brought. She was able to tell me all about their time in the rescue - how they'd eaten and shed and what their temperaments were like and their history and how they ended up with her there. They all looked fantastic - clean and round, no stuck shed, clear vents, etc. I took the very first one she put in my hands home with me. That was Ella.
I could not be happier! Ella is calm and docile, extremely curious, not easily stressed, and a great eater! Perfect for a beginner. I am confident that this happened partly because she got good care from a reputable rescue and also because she was well established at about 1 1/2 years old when I got her - she wasn't a baby which might have been more delicate and less forgiving of any husbandry errors I might have made in the first couple months of having her.
So that might help with choosing. As far as care, tubs are great and very easy to maintain cleanliness and temps and humidity. But tanks are doable if you prefer a more display sort of set up. Just depends on what you want and how much work you want to put into it. There's a couple stickies here that explain how to set up a tank and properly cover the screen top. A couple quick tips that might not be on the care sheets:
- Get a uth with rheostat and an accurite from Walmart (like $12) to maintain and moniter temps and humidity - the little dial stick on thingys are worthless.
- Don't use a heat lamp or lamp for light. BPs don't need lamps and they are a humidity suck. UTHs are better for heat.
- I don't recommend plants, either fake or real. BPs are heavy snakes and will crush them. Fake ones can have sharp points of wire sticking out and real ones can have fertilizers or other trace chemicals that might be harmful to your snake.
- Use 2 hides. One on the cool side and one on the warm side. Make sure they're enclosed (meaning they only have one entrance/exit hole) and that they do NOT have a bottom. Nothing worse than having your snake disappear in a solid hide box and not be able to get him out!
Good luck with your new baby!
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