Remember "research" is the key to picking the right animal. Your local book store and library have great information. Also there is a lot of great reference material on the net. My snake page has many links to people that have a wide range of knowledge. Many would be happy to answer questions. Ask the pet shop, but remember they are in the business of selling. Many are good, but not all shops are equal. 

The fellow on this page looks much like mine, but a little smaller. He eats 1 small rabbit every 10 days. Lives in a 75 gal. tank, with heat lamp for those cooler times. A large tree limb goes from the bottom left front corner to the top back corner. A commercial made 1/2 tree trunk is used for hiding. I spend a little extra on him, "Lizard Litter". His bath tub is a small kitty litter box. His tank is secured with a commercial metal screen top, that was sent to the welder for extra re-enforcement, and is held down with several tight budgie cords.  

Red could have ended up in a horror story. He became too large for his owner. Lucky for him a local pet shop took him, there he sat 6 foot long in a 30 gal tank. Now he lives the easy life. He hates to be handled, has never struck, but can be very nervous.