Welsome to the site and good gracious....that's alot of questions! Let's see if I can answer some, and if I miss any let me know.

Ball pythons can be good first snakes. It was mine. But you have to be prepared that fasting is a possiblity. It will be nerve wracking! I've been told if the water is good enough for you to drink then it's ok for snakes. Ball pythons shed more as they are growing so depending on the age you acquire your snake, it will shed approximately every 6 weeks when young and a couple times a year as an adult. When they begin to shed their eyes turn a cloudy blue and you should not handle them during this period. A couple days after their eyes clear they well shed their skin.

If you decide to get a bp you should have the cage setup first and running for awhile to make sure your temps are correct. After getting the snake, leave them in relative quiet for a week. Then attempt to feed. Do not handle a snake for 48 hours after eating, so as not to cause them to reguritate. Then you can start to handle starting with small increments. I've never been bitten so I cannot tell you how that feels.

If you want a book go to www.amazon.com. You should be able to pick up The Ball Python Manual for under $10.

Hope this helps, and good luck. Glad to hear you are doing research before buying. If you have any other questions just let us know.