Atticus' first rat...

[Prophet]

Today, I fed Atticus her first small rat. I was mildly skeptical what with being so used to feeding large feeder mice and the rat obviously being bigger than said feeder mice, but my doubts were put to rest as soon as she had him wrapped up within five seconds of giving the rat to her.

I do have a couple questions, though.

First, since I made the transition from feeder mice to a small rat and the rat was obviously considerably larger than the mice, should I start making the intervals between how often I feed her longer? Instead of 5-7 days, should I start feeding her every 7-10 days now or...?

And second, when I came home from work, I noticed her soaking in her water bowl for the first time since I've had her. Is this normal after a large meal? I know my temperatures are all good, the humidity is fine, and she is free of mites, so...

Thanks, guys!

How old is she?

ETA: This is why i asked. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=82138