OVERKILL for new BP 1 year old ???

[200xth]

I am about to purchase a lavender bp and am new to the hobby. I have no intention of breeding, but I have every intention of taking excellent care of the pet and gaining all the knowledge I can before I bring it home. I tend to go at things full throttle and easily go into overkill. I am trying not to do this again, so I have a couple simple questions. 1) Is it overkill to invest in a VE-300 http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermostats OR is it the BEST thing I can do for the pet? Is there something cheaper that will do the job equally as well for my only having 1 animal, not a breeder?

Second question... I am a 1 purchase type of person... meaning I prefer to buy 1 tank that will last the life of the pet, rather than a couple as the pet grows. Do you see anything wrong with this thinking for a BP? I am considering something this large for the lavender, who is 1 year old. Is this space too big for a 1 year old?? 38x18x24 http://www.dtpetsupplies.com/catalog...4-p-68471.html ??
How do I get the space heated up enough, humid enough, given the large area?

Thanks in advance! Just trying to do it right the first time....

Geneva

There is nothing wrong with getting a good thermostat for your snake, breeding or not. In fact it is far preferred to do it the right way, and VE makes good thermostats. I have 5 or 6 of the VE300X2's now and they work great. You buy that VE300 and you have a good thermostat no matter what. Even if you change your mind later and start breeding or increasing the size of your collection, you have a solid thermostat to use somewhere in your setup.

I'm a fan of getting 1 enclosure for the lifetime of the snake, as well. If it's too big or he seems uncomfortable it's fairly easy to fill it up with stuff to make him more secure.

I don't have a lot of experience lately with aquariums, so I can't help with heat and humid issues in them. I can say you might want to consider getting a PVC enclosure if you want a display enclosure. Something like the T8 from animal plastics: http://www.apcages.com/home/terrestrial/T8/T8.htm

Heat and humidity are much easier to manage in that than an aquarium.