Hi. My name is Cheryl... I actually came upon this forum because I'm very interested in getting a ball python. It would be my first snake, and a landmark for me, because I grew up deathly afraid of snakes, and just recently overcame that. But I have been wanting a snake for a while, and I did a lot of research on them... I learned that ball pythons are great for me. At least... the ones I hold every day at the pet store are. They are all so even-tempered and seem to enjoy being held. But I was hoping to learn more about them from people who actually owned them, and had experience with them. Are they really as great as they sound, especially for a first-time snake owner?