Brand new bp owner

[CALM Pythons]

Hey guys,

I've been reading a whole bunch on this site in prep for getting my first ever snake and, as of 2 days ago, i am the proud new owner of a beautiful pastave female. i don't know her weight or age (i forgot to ask) but she's just a bit longer than my forearm i think and she fits, curled up, on a little less than two hands if that makes any sense. anyway now I'm fretting over whether she's comfortable or stressed.

setup wise i have her in a 20g exoterra starter tank with one hide (i plan to get more), a water dish thats heavy enough not to flip and wide enough that she can mostly of not all the way lay in (i heard sometimes they like to do that?) and its partly over the UTH on the warm side. i have a UVB on the cool side and a basking light on the warm side- trying to keep t​he air temp up. i have the stock thermometer/hygrometer (sp?) on the warm side, a basic thermometer on the cool side and a digital thermometer with the probe over the glass over the UTH. i have the better digital thermo/hygro on order. oh i also got her a humidifier since i was having such a hard time getting humidity on point. i also put some foil over the top of the screen to try and capture some more of the heat and humidity and that did wonders.

like i mentioned, right now she has one hide on the cool side that she either coils mostly under (I'm starting to suspect she might not fit completely under it) or she lays on top of it half the day then lays out on the warm side sometimes too. she seems to stay pretty still during the day and gets super curious at night although this morning she seemed a little more restless. how do i know if she even likes that hide or if i should scrap it when i get her another or possible 2? also i noticed she likes stretching out and climbing so should i put things in her tank with height? should i be worried about her being to close to the lamps (right now the domes are just resting on the screen)

i read that for set ups with a tank i should cover 3 sides for her, does colour make a difference?

i was able to get the bottom of the tank on the warm side to a nice 90 but I'm having a hard time with the air temp bang btwn 80-85 (hence my using a basking light for some hours) but its a bright white light so i try not to have it on to much because i don't want to annoy or stress her out. any ideas? how much should i worry about air vs the bottom of the tank temp? she's got some basic aspen substrate, will she get the heat she needs through the floor with that? should i measure the tank floor on the cool side too (regulated at a cooler temp of course)? where exactly should i be placing any thermometers / probes? ill buy a hundred if it keeps my new baby comfy lol

I've been reading about RHPs but I'm not clear on how they are attached, I'm hesitant about anything with adhesives on her side of the tank. she's a real investigator so far lol. are RHPs crazy expensive?

also i keep her in my bedroom, whenever i go in there after hours (sundown) will i be stressing her out turning on lights and such?

as far as handling, should i only mess with her during her more active night time?

do you think scents like wax melts will stress her out? (i have some in my apt)

I think thats all my questions for now. Im so excited to have her, she's so friendly and beautiful. i just want her to like me lol and of course be healthy and relatively stress free.

thanks everyone who responds,
-the new guy

What are you regulating the UTH with? You need a thermostat or dimmer and the hide should be in the basking area as well as one on the cool side. Most spend 95% of their time in the Hot Hide. Especially during digestion.
You dont want the UTH and Basking bulb on the same side. You should use the UTH with a Tstat set to 88-91 for basking and a (100 Watt for 20gal tank) CHE on the cool side for ambient of 78-81. The reason I say a CHE is because they last a lot longer and the regular light is not what a snake wants, its also easier than changing bulbs from Day to Night. You put the probe for UTH hotspot on the glass floor under very thin substrate and the Cool side probe or head unit 1/2-3/4 way down into tank for air temp. Most of us use a Acurite thermometer that displays humidity, a probe for temp on Hotside and the Head Unit is put on cool side for ambient. (One thermometer for all 3)
As far as covering 3 sides use what will keep the light out and isnt see threw (Card board/ Dark Paper Ect). That will also help insulate the Glass.
If you have a screen top use tinfoil to keep heat and humidity in over 3/4 and then you have room for the CHE on the cool side. RHP's are for PVC enclosures. They are mounted to the ceiling of Display enclosures that have doors infront and do not open ontop.
As far as handling. Sometimes snakes are grumpy during the day, especially when they are sleeping ( (nocturnal) and you pull the hide off them and its BRITE Hahahahaha.. So either give them a second to wake up if im cleaning the enclosure or I wait until 8pm to take them out for handling.

Thermometer : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BO8CUE...a-274651631894


A dimmer switch to control a UTH: https://m.lowes.com/pd/Lutron-Creden...Dimmer/4462387

This is a link that teaches how to setup a enclosure : https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-With-Pictures!