She probably won't bite you. I've encountered quite a few balls at my job, and I've only met one snake that's bitten me regardless of washed hands and slow movements. He was, without a doubt, the exception, not the rule, and even by the end of the month we had him before he was sold he'd been gentled down enough to be held without biting the hand he was on. Ball pythons are well known for being sweet, so you can no doubt take your gloves off and just handle her.

Two mice a week is probably plenty until she gets bigger. Bump her up to a small rat once her body (at its biggest part) is a bit bigger than the rat.

The more often you handle her and it's not a scary experience for her, the more relaxed about being handled she'll be. You don't want to keep her out for hours at a time, but ten to thirty minutes a day is plenty to get her used to people. The snakes I work with have become noticeably calmer about being handled, and I only take them out for at most five minutes a few days out of the week.

you've gotten yourself a wonderful new pet! congrats!



~jenny
-----
1.1 normal ball pythons

1.0 rex rat

0.1 bunny

2.1 betta fishes

3.1 great danes

1.0 fat fuzzy mutt

1.1 cats

2.0 horses

1.0 goat

2.25 chickens



but i still want more ball pythons!

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