I have only kept Bp's for about a year but i have an undertank heater because they need belly heat too to digest their food easier. And astroturf is great you can get it from a carpet place or you can go to a pet store and get i think its called reptile carpet its great i use it and it comes with two pieces precut to your specific tank. Always have one clean. I always clean right before feeding time because by that time they have deficated their last meals and that way you can leave them alone after they eat. You dont really need a basking area but i do keep a night time lamp on even during the day on the same side as the under tank heater. I get plenty of daylight in the room so i dont need a day lamp which have UV a and b which Ball Pythons dont really need. Its also nice to have a climbing branch or vine, sand blasted gravevine works great because its rough enough for when they shed. But it look like your off to a great start keeping Ball Pythons and enjoy them they are truely amazing.