Hi there! I'm so glad you found our forum! Please don't hesitate to ask whatever questions that come up...we enjoy helping out.

To add my .02 to what's already been said:

Ball pythons can live to be 40 years old or older if they're well cared for! This is a life-time commitment you're considering. If all goes well, you'll have the little darling for years and years and years. So, as hard as it is right now (and I KNOW it's hard, trust me!) please be patient. Make sure the little snake is an established feeder, or you could end up heart-broken later if it turns out to be one of the few who never eat.

I'll second what Marla said about getting the cage all set up and ready before you bring any snake home to live in it. It took me about two weeks of tweaking and experimenting with different set-ups before I finally got my own snake's enclosure to work just right...and I wasn't having to deal with humidity issues because mine is a different species. If he'd have been in there that whole time, I would have worried myself sick about if I was cooking him or freezing him while trying to get those temps right!

And speaking of temps...I would steer clear of those little stick-on thermometer and hydrogemeter dials. They are notoriously innacurate. You can find some very nice digital indoor/outdoor meters that will measure both...and will have probes that measure both the hot and cool ends of the tank at the same time...and will keep a record of the minimum and maximum temps that the cage reaches. (You'd be surprised at how much the temps can drop at night when you're not looking, but would never know because they've come back up some by morning.) Find these at Wal Mart for very reasonable prices.

And one last thing (I know I go on and on!)...if your husband is building a lid for the cage...be VERY careful! All snakes, but ball pythons in particular, are serious escape artists. It only takes the tiniest bit of give or vulnerability for them to squirm their way out. I would highly suggest going ahead and getting a 20 gallon reptile cage from the pet store with a sliding/locking screen lid...until you can build a bigger and more suitable enclosure.

Alright...I'll shut up now!