Hi all, new owner of a ball pyhton named salmonella. yes, i named it that.its about 13 or so inches long, nice coloration, just a normal, not fancy like all the morphs....so, ive read the care sheet multiple times, done a bit of research. any who, its been about a week and a half and im now starting to take him out and holding him. ive noticed what seems like dryness in a few very small areas, only a few scales in each, and thers only like 2 or 3 places ive seen it. any ideas?
tank is fairly regulated in temp, doesnt goabove 90 in the day time, nor below 80 at night. 10 galon tank, nice sized hide, maintains atleast 50 % humidty. ive seen him climb through the water bowl twice already, otherwise hes either climbing around looking for an escape, or just sittign under the lamp. another thing, i use the lamp primarily for heat during the day, yet ive heard you shouldnt keep it on constantly since they are nocturnal and thyey can get a little fried by it. i turn it off at night and put on the heating pad.

question number 2. its about time to feed him, i bought a frozen pinky at the local store, let it thaw out for about an hour, and as of right now, hes wondering the cardbord box i designated for feeding and hes passing up the food, actually climbing over it. .... i know thy are finiky eaters, but i was jsut wondering how long should i wat till i put him back in the tank and refreeze the pinky. some have said thier snake only eats it if its be frozen and thawed twice, or if its dark or in a brown papaer bag. or in a box with a box with green sox......
right. anywho, ill give it another 15 20 and place him back in the cage unless i see a reply in time, or ill try later tongiht, since they are nocturnal and such,

last questions for this post, how can you tell tehy are stressed? moving around alot? fast breathing? also how can you tell they are sleeping, ive never seen his eyes closed......

any answers to these questions would help me out.
thanks a bunch and i look forward to communicating about ball pythons as time continues.