Any advice for a newcomer to the hobby?

[redshepherd]

I've emailed 3 large-scale breeders (maybe not the best way to go) asking about it and all three of them said something similar; can't guarantee the temperament of any of their animals, especially being handled by a novice, and they all 3 recommended going with a young snake that I can easily accustom to how I handle them / get them used to my home, one breeder recommended doing like a puppy dog thing and putting my worn clothing in with the snake (lol?) I was really hoping to get a bigger snake though, all three of the breeders I talked to recommended small snakes, and they said it doesn't matter the gender or morph.

I think a snake who is at least 400g or more would be a better fit, actually. Who were the large scale breeders (just out of curiosity)?

And about the size of enclosure- yes, as long as you really fill it up with many places to hide, branches, fake leaves, hides, and really don't leave much open space... The snake will be fine. It's wide open spaces that novice BP owners seem to have trouble with, so it's easier for a snake to feel "secure" with new BP owners if the enclosure is simply smaller to begin with. That said, it's not as convenient to find a little BP in a 75 gallon filled with stuff and places to hide... but that depends on you.