I just adopted a 1.5 year old, 2 foot 1/4" male ball python from a guy I know who is honest and good with herps. He adopted him for someone else who had to move to a place that doesn't accept snakes as pets.

I have put him into a 2 foot tank, on aspen, with a large hide (which he can also bask on top of), water dish in the middle and a heat pad under the dish. Edge of the heat pad hits a bit of the hide too. (I didn't attach it to the tank, just placed it under so I can move it when I put him back into his larger tank.

I have not set up any lights yet. It's getting hot here.

Physically, the BP looks fine, no skin weirdness or mouth issues related to R.I., no wheezing, redness, etc. He's strong, vigorously wraps around stuff, active, skin is clear, (although he is due for a shed as his eyes are blue). No mites. I can't give you history but I can say he's docile and interested in what's going on. Lots of tongue flicking.

I don't note any swelling anywhere and his belly looks fine although it has some faint large and long pink-ish areas on the whiter areas of his underside which looks normal to me. Then again, this is my first BP so how the hell do I know what normal is, really. What I mean is it just looks like normal gradient of colours on the abdomen, like there's guts in there amking it look pinkish, y'know?

I've heard that some snakes "click" when in, or due, for a shed.

What do y'all think?