Got a ball python for Christmas and really don't know much(but am willing to learn)

I have several that will eat during a shed, but a couple I don't even offer food to in shed. I agree with feeding him inside his enclosure. Ball pythons can get stressed when moved and you don't have to worry about them being cage aggressive by feeding in the cage. You could wait until he sheds to feed

Thanks for your response. RIght now I am more worried about him being traumatized from the recent event. Do Ball Pythons get traumatized for extended periods of time or am I over-worrying? I guess there is nothing I can do about it now anyway.

They are "fight or flight" based. Their first response to pretty much everything is "HIDE" and/or "RUN AWAY"! I don't think he's traumatized, so I wouldn't fuss over him too much, because THAT'S more likely to cause trauma than the lid falling. I'd just check to make sure the lid didn't hit him or hurt him, then leave it at that. Let him be for a few days, or even until he sheds. He looks great so don't worry, he won't starve if you wait. Once he's done shedding, just drop the mouse in front of him, move a couple feet away from the tank and just observe (since it's not wise to leave a live mouse unattended with your snake, it's possible the mouse could bite or hurt your BP).

I'm sure it just scared him. I'd leave him alone for several days just to give him a break and time to chill out. If he's in shed he most likely won't come out of his hide anyways. No need to worry about that. They get pretty inactive during shed.

So last night I put the mouse in drako's tank. It ran around for about 30 minutes. Drako looked a little enthused, but didn't strike. Finally, I reached in with my tongs to grab the mouse by the tail. As soon as I lifted it Drako struck and did the normal ball python feeding. He had it down in about 5 minutes!:banana:

http://i.imgur.com/bopWr.png

Yay!! Congrats!