i have had my first bp (severus) for less than a week. i got him from a small local (very trusted) pet store. i thought i did enough research to know what to expect, but this little guy is proving that i know absolutely nothing. dont get me wrong, i love him and have no intention of getting rid of him. i just want to make sure the things he is doing are normal and that i am doing things right. im sorry if there is WAY too much info in here, but i see a lot of people asking for more info in other forums, so i didnt want to take a chance. bear with me please!!

my first question involves me holding him. when i first got him, he curled up in a ball, like i expected. i did not hold him the first day at all. after that, i would hold him anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes, to get used to having humans handle him. i didnt keep him out too long tho because i wanted to make sure his body temp stayed okay. i wont hold him 48 hours before/after feeding or while shedding for obvious reasons. however, by day 3, he was already wanting to slither all over me, instead of curling like i thought he would. he only stays still for a few seconds in my hand, then wants to slither around, going up my arm and even poking his head out away from me to look around the room. i use low voices while hes out, try not to make quick movements, and generally it is just me in the room. is he stressed out, or is he just curious?

next, his first 2 days, he stayed under his log day and night. however, on the 3rd night, he started coming out to explore. i expected him to explore for a few minutes and go back, but no, he has been known to stay out for an hour or more, constantly looking around. i have read everywhere that a sheltered bp is a happy bp. is this a sign that he is stressed, or just overly curious? he only does it at night. in fact, i barely see him during the day because he usually sleeps under his log.

also, he spends a LOT of time sniffing out the top screen of the tank. he hasnt tried to push it open that i have seen, but i just sticks his tongue out and sniffs. again is he just curious, or is this some sign of stress or wanting to escape? for the record, im not sure he knows it even opens honestly. i plan on using the top for feeding and the front sliding doors for all other handling. and since i am following the pet stores schedule for feeding (every other saturday) i have yet to open the top.

and finally, just out of curiosity, does anyone want to take a guess at how old he is? i know there are a lot of factors and theres no way to get the exact age, but i know he was sold with a baby ball python label, is about 16-18 inches, and has been fed every other week his whole life. before i got him, he was in a smaller (prob 10 gallon tank) with another bp, but was about to be moved to a bigger home until i bought him.

random facts: he has never struck, or even gotten in a striking position that i have seen. he sticks out his tongue and sniffs the air a lot, but never hisses. 99.9% of the time, his movements are very slow. only times he makes quick movements is when he flops himself over to go in a different direction, which he has done maybe 2 or 3 times total.

yes i know there are a lot of questions, but i really want to make sure i give him the best life he could wish for.

ok here are the pics to show you some of what he does:

sorry you cant see this one very well. my flash was off. but he was mostly laying in the grass, with a small part of him perched on the door lid of the tank. just one of the MANY crazy positions he gets himself into.


the rest of the pics:









here is his basic cage set up, in case you were curious. you cant see it, but there is a reptile heating pad under his log shelter. his tank is about a 30x12 and i use alpine mixed with a tiny bit of bark that i had leftover (half a small bag, if that):