So, my ball python is 90g, so still pretty small. I think my husbandry is pretty good, because he spends probably 50% of his time on the warm side and 50% on the cool side, and he spends most of his time in his hides. But today I tried handling him, and he was pretty defensive. He kept getting into the striking position, and nipped at me a few times. He didn't draw blood, but he was very anxious and stiff and bitey. Then when I put him back, for about an hour he was frantically travelling around the inside of his enclosure and poking his head up into the corners, as though trying to escape. I took this to mean he was stressed out about having been handled. How do I proceed? Do I just continue to handle him anyway and let him bite at me until he wears himself out and realizes I'm not a predator? Or do I wait for him to mature a little? Now he's just the same as before - hanging out in his hides - so whatever stress from handling him couldn't have left a lasting impression, could it? Another question is about growth and feeding. So currently I'm feeding him fuzzy mice, which are about the width of the widest part of his body, and I have 3 left. I was thinking about moving to rats ASAP to get him accustomed to this early and not have to make the switch later. My question is, is this a good idea? And how quickly do ball pythons generally grow, from where mine is at right now? He looks like this.



Thanks for the help!