New Member Looking For Suggestions and Info

[Mikknu]

First and foremost, I'd like to thank bns for the amazing explanation of your setups. A lot of my trepidation towards starting with such a large enclosure is that I simply dont understand them yet, and I already feel a lot better about that option after having it explained by you so nicely and thoroughly. The only snake I've ever helped care for was a corn snake in a glass aquarium, which I'm looking to get as much research as I can done so that I know what I'm getting into. I'm sure my thoughts, opinions, and plans will change at least a few times in the next half a year. The world is ever changing, after all, and we have to change with it.

That being said, there does seem to be a bit of a debate going on here. I'm not experienced enough yet to have an opinion; the likelihood is that I'll continue doing research until I determine what works the best for my snake, my budget, and my location at the time I'll be getting him. I can't possibly say what will happen in 6 months time; I'd like to think that I'll be continuing to live as I am now, and it's the assumption I believe most of us try to work upon, but who knows?

For plastic tubs- where do you get food grade tubs? I hadn't thought about needing specific kinds of plastic, to be honest. Is there a special place to look or order them? If you have just the plastic tub as their enclosure(without a surrounding PVC that is), are they as difficult or less difficult than an aquarium to keep stable?

For PVC cages- would it be possible/probable to simply start out with a smaller PVC cage? A local shop will take custom orders, and perhaps I could start with a 2'x2'x2' or so? That way I can have the more controlled environment, but meeting somewhere closer to my current comfort range for size of cage to regulate? I could also expand it when I needed to then, and it would be less difficult (and intimidating) for me to dial in a much larger enclosure with some PVC experience under my belt.

I've read that most boas do best on things like coconut fiber due to humidity- is this true for Sonorans as well? I know they come from a more desert-like environment, and I seem to be having a bit of difficulty finding a definitive care guide for them specifically.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond to all my questions. I really appreciate it, and I'm learning a lot about snake husbandry that I didn't know before.