I am brand new to being a snake parent! I just adopted my first Ball Python this past weekend and I have so many questions! I work at Petsmart and I have been eyeing her (him?) for almost a month and one day I just couldn't stop myself! I did a bunch of research, but maybe you guys can help me?

1. I want to know if its a boy or a girl! I know that probing is the most efficient way to determine the gender but I don't want to spend the money on a trip to the vet! UGH!

2. I want to know how old it is! My coworkers at Petsmart didn't know its age and I cant find any references online so I'm hoping someone could give me a rough age estimate.

3. How can I keep things stress free? In case it gets stressed or something goes wrong (that doesn't require immediate vet attention), what should I do to keep the peace?

4. How should I deal with shedding? It is getting ready to shed soon and I since it just got here, I want to make everything go as smoothly and stress free as possible!

5. Any tips or advice? I know the basics, but there is no such thing as too much advice so if there is anything I should know or just some cool information please let me know!

[IMG]y.jpg[/IMG]