Just need some confirmation/advice please.

We got Baby yesterday (Monday, May 3/05). She's about 2 1/2 months old and seems in great shape. She (or he who knows at this point) has eaten and shed well from all reports, looking very shiney and no retained shed.

All things considered, we feel we should wait about a week to allow Baby to settle in before offering food for the first time, considering she's just shed? I observed her drinking which was nice to see. We are, of course, not handling her at all right now.

As well, can I have a quick primer on how to decide what is the right size rat or mouse to offer her. We were thinking about 2/3 the size of her at the biggest girth area but is that a good ball park estimate?

Do most baby ball pythons show signs of hunger, like roaming the cage or going into a strike position?

Having read that BP's don't usually eat while in shed, how long after the shed is complete do most of them resume their normal eating pattern?

Last question....since Baby has been feed mice should we stick with that so not to stress her unduly during the first feed or just try for a rat pup. Since she's so young will it make much difference what is offered this first time?

Thanks in advance for all your help folks (and your continuing patience with the long posts and tons of questions ).

~~Joanna~~