I'm planning on getting a ball python (my first snake) sometime in July, most likely at the Herp World Expo in San Jose on the 23rd. I've been doing my research and lurking this forum, and I'd love to have a few questions answered and get some advice.

First of all, I have to leave town the day after the expo starts, so I'm wondering if it would be okay to leave my snake unsupervised under certain conditions. I plan on getting a terrarium with a sliding top screen, and I believe it has an extra latch. It sounds like it would be pretty impossible for a snake to escape from that, but I want to make sure. Also, I plan on getting all of the equipment and leave everything running to test the temperatures and make sure that nothing goes wrong for at least 2 weeks before I get the snake. My mom gets home a week after I leave, and she says she would be willing to feed the snake and maybe even handle it if she's not too scared of it. I know you're supposed to leave them alone for a week or more so that they can settle in anyway, so it seems to be the perfect setup. If it's really not safe to do that, I'll try hard and arrange for someone to stop by to check up on it. Another alternative I thought of is if a nearby breeder would accept partial payment at the expo and then reserve the snake until I get back, at which time I would go pick it up and pay the rest. Do breeders do this, and are they likely to carry out their word?

Now for random questions! What brand of UTH do you guys recommend? Also, should I be somehow raising my tank above the heater? I assume I should to prevent my snake from getting burned (although I'm planning on getting a thermostat so I can set specific temperatures...)? Also, I'm concerned that raising it up might put stress on the glass and make it more likely to break. Also, what's the best bedding?
Some questions about breeders... Do they generally feed their snakes frozen feeders, or live mice? I'm a bit concerned about the price of feeding mine live mice, since I know that they're picky eaters and won't want to switch over. Last question, at the expo, what kind of deals should I expect? I'll have less than $200 to spend, and I'm interested in a cool morph (my favorite are calicos and axanthics, but I expect those to be out of price range), but I would be okay with a normal. I'd be looking for a baby or at least young one.

Thanks so much, ladies and gents.
-Kat