I'm thinking about getting a pet, and a ball python is way up on the list of possibilities.

I owned a corn snake for 14 years that unfortunately died from complications after a nasty infection in her mouth, I loved that gorgeous snake so much. It's been four years since she died(right before I went to college) and have been pet-less since.

Now I'm settled in an apartment in minneapolis MN and am ready for a creature of some sort to liven up my life a little.

Right now I'm trying to decide what would best fit my living accomodations, and I think a snake would be ideal for a first pet while living on my own.

What I'm looking for in a snake:
- happy to be handled on a daily basis
- under 8' at full size
- "Easy"(that's a relative term that is different for many people) for a smart, responsible 22 year old college graduate to keep healthy.
- long lived. I don't want a "temporary" pet.

Pythons and boas have always intrigued me, and it seems that BPs fit what I'm looking for in a snake. I have spent hours researching husbandry and all that, and if the multiple websites that I've read are all telling the truth, ball pythons are a great, friendly, healthy, choice for a pet snake.

On to some questions:

1) Are there any pythons or boas you would advise over a BP, or just as much as a BP? I'm more than happy to consider snakes that get a bit larger than BPs.

2) anyone from the twin cities area have a suggestion for a reputable place to buy captive bred snakes and/or snake housing? Online searches turned up "Twin Cities Reptiles" and it seems like it's run by professional caring staff, so I'll be checking that place out I think.

3) I've seen a wide variety of prices for ball pythons, from $35 to $12,000+. Is there any reason color morphs demand such a high price compared to "normal" BPs, other than they are "designer" pets? What is a reasonable price to pay for a healthy, captive bred snake?

4) Anything I should know about BPs that I might not have already read yet?

Thanks guys!