Hello everyone,

I am new to the site and ball pythons. I am thinking about getting one but I just wanted to ask you guys what I definitely need and any advice you could give me so that I can make an educated decision. A few questions that I can think of right off the bat are:

1) I noticed that there are several kinds of ball pythons ranging in price from $40 to $4000+. Any kinds that I should avoid? Are some more calm and friendly then others?

2) Is it typically bad to get them from stores like PetSmart etc?

3) If I went on a week vacation could it handle that without anyone there?

4) I am a little nervous about feeding them. How often do they eat? I've been reading that it's not too unusual for them to fast for a while and that's okay as long as they don't loose too much weight. Do I need a special scale or anything or do I just use like a bathroom scale lol?

I would appreciate it if you guys could address my concerns and give me any advice. I think that they're awesome, but I can't spend a fortune and I want to make sure that I can treat it right if I get one.