Reptilian Dilemma

I know there are people who don't agree with keeping pets - especially outside the realm of cat or dog. Truth be told, if I could do it all over I probably wouldn't get a snake, much less one that is a carnivore and eats live prey.

When my snake came to live with me it was known as Nick Junior. I bought it from my next door neighbor Nick, after he'd outgrown her and moved on to a crocodile.

I'd had a Ball Python in college, named Falcor and he got mouth rot and died. Prior to his death, he suffered terribly while I stupidly continued to believe I could heal him. He was tube fed, given shots and had his mouth cleaned out 3x everyday with a gross soapy solution. Poor creature.

Back to Nick Junior... Off I went to the vet to make sure this snake was healthy. After being weighed and measured (In 1996, length 6'and 19.6lbs) the snake was probed to determine the sex. Alas, Nick Junior, who I had renamed Seamus was missing the soft penile folds that would have made him a Seamus.

It was then that I embarked on a campaign to find a new, perfect, female name for my snake. I chose two mythical Goddesses - Rhiannon, a Welsh crone and Persephone from the popular Greek myth, explaining the seasons. I wrote both names on a piece of paper and put them about 6 feet away from the snake and let her go. I felt she should have some part in her naming. My brother Matt wasn't very fond of the name Persephone and later admitted that he nudged her a little bit with his foot when I wasn't looking. This is how Rhiannon came to be my snake.

When I moved to NYC my roommates wanted nothing to do with a 6 foot Constrictor in the house (pussies!) so I was forced to leave her with her uncle. It is now 5 years later and she's finally coming to live with me!

The only obstacle - finding a reptile enclosure that will give her adequate space while not taking up half of my apartment. I've found a number of great habitats but seem to be short by about 2800 dollars. My brother and made plans for a new condo for Rhiannon, complete with trees to climb and then he went and bought a house. The nerve! Now he's busy making repairs to his own home. Hmpfh! Like his gutters can't wait?

If anyone knows where I can find a home for my little serpent with the following restrictions, I'd be most grateful.

Nothing institutional - I don't want it to look like a big plastic box you'd find in a petstore.

Nothing over 350 dollars.

An enclosure that is preferably tall rather than wide, as she is arboreal and I'm short on space.

Appropriate heating elements and a floor space large enough for her to bask and soak.

Relatively easy to clean.

Escape proof!

Keep your fingers crossed, people. I'm looking forward to wandering down Hoyt Avenue, in a tank top, tatts exposed with my snake draped around my shoulders. It might just be the thing to get me access to the "boys club" by Crescent Street. Men love a ballsy broad!