Welcome to the forum!
1) I would recommend getting one that is a few months old that has already been consistently eating frozen/thawed rats for awhile unless you have a local source for buying cheap live rats, which is still a huge hassle, because it's always difficult to find the proper size prey at all stages of the snakes life. Ball Pythons are notorious for being very picky eaters. For that reason, my personal opinion is they aren't the best choice for a first time snake owner. I would sooner recommend a Blood Python or a Boa (BI) as a first snake...
2) I have seen a lot of complaints and bad reviews about Backwater Reptiles as well as Underground Reptiles...
For example:
https://www.bbb.org/south-east-flori...ch-fl-90038551
I think most people on here would strongly advise against buying from local/chain pet shops as well. I would recommend buying from smaller, private breeders even more than large, popular "name brand" breeders. Their collections are smaller and chances are their animals receive much better, more personalized care. There are a ton of very knowledgeable, reputable, experienced breeders right here on the forum. You shouldn't have any problem finding a quality animal from someone on here...
3) If you want to have a display type enclosure, a glass aquarium should be your last choice. They do not hold heat or humidity well. Starting off with baby snakes is a tricky thing, because they will pretty much need different size enclosures as they grow or you can likely end up facing a lot of feeding problems if their enclosure is too large (especially with Ball Pythons). I highly recommend plastic tubs until they near adult size. They are best for controlling heat and humidity and cheap to replace as your snake grows. If you want to start off with a display type enclosure without having to end up buying all different sizes (which aren't cheap), I would recommend buying/building a 4' x 2' x 12" (if you get a Ball Python) PVC enclosure, such as:
https://apcages.com/collections/terr...8l-x-24w-x-12h
But, I would recommend keeping the snake in an appropriate size tub that is simply placed inside of your decorated display enclosure until it nears adult size in about 2 years. Either way, the most important necessity is a good, reliable thermostat to accurately control temperatures and I highly recommend underbelly heat tape (such as THG) over heat lights...
I hope this helps...
Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus
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