Hi! I'm new here...getting a ball python...what do I need for it?

[Foxy320Red]

Hey everyone! My name's Katie, and I'm almost 17 years old. For years I've been wanting a ball python. My neighbors have (or atleast had) a huge ball python, and I just loved it. My mom thought I was weird, being a 8 year old girl going to the neighbors house to see their huge snake. Well, I've always liked them, but just recently I decided I actually wanted one. I knew my mom would say no, so I didn't get my hopes up. So I asked her....she said NO! Well, I expected that much. But after begging her, and telling her that people say that make good pets, and are the lest likely to bite of all snakes. She still said no. So I told her that I take care of all my pets, and I pay for them and they live in my room so she doesn't have to see them. She still said no. So, I told her that I'd try really hard in school, and get atleast C's in everything. So she said she'd think about it.

Well, we went to the petstore last night for petfood, and they happened to have two baby ball pythons. They werent newly hatched, but I'm guessing within a few months old. But I showed my mom, and she said she thought I wanted a small snake. So I had the store owner talk to my mom and tell her how nice of pets they are, and they're good beginner pets because theyre friendly and low maintnence. Well....now I'm allowed to have one.

I know that I want to look around for a while, and read up more on them before I go out and get one. I need to buy everything, also still but I'm not quite sure what I need, exactly.

I want to get the snake from a breeder or from a reptile show, and as a baby. Also, it has to eat frozen/thawed mice or rats, because I have pet mice and rats, and wouldnt be able to handle feeding it live animals. Theres a reptile show on the 28th or 29th of this month in MD, so I may go to that. Of all the colors/varieties, I like the normals the best.

I only plan on getting one; I think that having two would be too much for me, and I'd have to take them out of their cage at different times because two would be too much work for me. So I think one will be good. I plan on taking it out of its cage a lot, also.

Ok, my question is: What exactly do I need prior to getting the snake? What kind of lighting, bedding, cage do I need?

Also, anyone who has pictures of where their snake lives, please post it!

Thanks a lot!