Hello everyone I'm new here. I recently purchased a ball python for my 10 year old son who has Asperger's syndrome and suffers from anxiety attacks as a result. He had been asking for a pet snake for some time and I thought perhaps it would help with his anxiety and the problems he was experiencing at school. We bought Steven back in August from a local pet store. Since then my son's anxiety attacks have all but ceased and his performance at school has vastly improved. Information in these forums have been invaluable in helping us provide proper care for Steven so thank you everyone.