new ball python questions

i got my new ball python on 7-16-2012 after getting his cage set up and letting him calm down we tried to feed him a frozen fuzzie which he refused so i went to live which he also refused. a couple of weeks later he shed and finally ate a live fuzzie on 7-31-2012. since then he has eaten three more times which were two smaller fuzzies on 8-2 and 8-3-2012 they were rather small fuzzies. and a bigger hopper because i thought the fuzzies i got were to small on 8-7-2012

so my question is how can i go about getting him to eat frozen, and also should i switch to rats instead of mice. i just got a scale today from target and it says he weighs 101 grams,any way to know by weight approx how old he might be? i bought him at petsmart so they dont have a record other than when they fed him last . also what type of feeding schedule should i put him on 3-5-7 days.

enclosure-20 long aquarium with sides top and bottom blacked out with foam board (i know!!! already ordered new enclosures from animal plastics)
temps are 79 on the cool side and 98 on the hot
humidity is 56%

Please tell me that 98 on the hot side was a typo... that is way too hot. You want your hot side to sit between 88-92 degrees.

I have found that my BP's eat better when the cool side is above 80 degrees (I aim for 82)

at 101 grams you have a very young BP You can't tell for sure but I would guess that he is 3 months or less.

To transition to frozen I would start with live, then after a few successful feedings try offering a pre-killed rodent. after a few successful feedings on pre-killed give frozen a shot.

switching over to rats will help in the long run but doesn't have any real benefits besides cost and convenience (an adult BP will have to eat a bunch of mice vs 1 or 2 larger rats)

I start my BP's on a 4 day feeding schedule... then move them to an 8 day feeding schedule around 600 grams

Put it on a 5 day feeding schedule. And it would be a good idea to get him on rats as soon as possible. Start with live rat pups as soon as possible. I would get him feeding well on rat then try to get him onto frozen thawed.

[QUOTE=The Serpent Merchant;1893919]Please tell me that 98 on the hot side was a typo... that is way too hot. You want your hot side to sit between 88-92 degrees.

yes im sorry that was supposed to be 89 at the moment, but it does go up 2-4 degrees depending on the time of day.
here is a pic of the little one


http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...5/IMAG0792.jpg