You should definitely get a Ball Python instead of a Burmese Python, now let me explain why. Though they are both bulky snakes, a burmese python (even dwarf) will grow much longer than a Ball Python. Sometimes Burmese Pythons get too aggressive to handle, outgrow their enclosure, and many owners have to get rid of them. Since Ball Pythons are not that active, they can be kept in a smaller enclosure such as a 20 gallon with ambient temperature; while though Burmese Pythons don't move around a lot either, they need a lot of space for their bulky body. If you get a Burmese Python and don't handle it, but it is simply for display, then the snake will eventually be too big and aggressive to handle, which has happened to many pet owners. And then it would be irresponsible to have to give it up just because it grew too big and became too aggressive. And since Burmese Pythons are so large, most people feed them in their enclosures, but this can also lead to accidents and aggression in cage cleaning.
Ball Python Questions:
1. A ball python can usually spend it's whole life in a 20 gallon tank, or 40 gallon if it becomes a big female. And they can even live in 41 quart container racks.
2. It is possible for a full grown, healthy female ball python to kill an adult cat. But even if the ball python did kill the cat, then it wouldn't be able to swallow it.
3. Ball pythons are known for being docile the majority of the time, which is why they are the most popular reptile at Herp Expos. They are very handleable, and easy to care for.
4. Ball pythons can contract salmonella from rodents, or they could have been born with it just like most other reptiles.
Burmese Python Questions:
1. It really depends on the individual, but since dwarf Burmese Pythons are smaller and easier to handle more often, that leads to a better tempered snake. But the Dwarf versions are known for being better tempered than the adults, but that isn't saying much.
2. I have heard that he dwarf is the most docile, due to the genes and sub branch of Burmese Pythons that it's on. But they all come from the same snake, the Burmese python. So they they have different sizes, and slightly different temperaments, there is not much of a spectrum between full size, half dwarf, and full dwarf Burmese Pythons.
3. You don't have to kill the pray for a Burmese Python, because they do take frozen. The problem is, and the reason why some people have to end up killing their own, is because once you have a full grown burmese python they need to eat large meals like chickens, rabbits, XL rats, and pigs. And it is often a challenge to get those animals frozen from a local place (you will probably have to order them online from a distributor), and it is an even bigger challenge to keep them in your freezer. To keep enough meals that large on hand, you might have to buy a separate freezer. While with ball pythons you just need a bag of one size rat and you're all set with a bag of 50 :).
So the ball Python is clearly the better choice. But Dumeril's boas are also a good snake. But not necessarily a starter reptile, and they are thinner and longer than Ball Pythons. But hey, my first snake was a Brazilian Rainbow Boa, which people say shouldn't be your first snake because of the humidity, but today, years later, mine is still healthy. They should be kept in an enclosure such as a 40 gallon tall aquarium, that will hold in the humidity, probably a plastic tub. And they will also take frozen rats. Personally after working with ball pythons for many years, I noticed that compared to Boas they are picky eaters. Boas seem to take the rat every time, are more active and docile, but you just need to pay attention to their sensitive skin and humidity requirements.