Hello, everyone:

This is my first post and my first ball python. I just bought a normal female and she's about five or six months old, and I've noticed that since I've had her for about a month; she eats like clockwork and really only uses her hide during the shed process. From what I've read, it seems that she should prefer being in her hide a lot more. The tank is a 20 gallon long with warm side/cold side gradient. It's 81.2 degrees F and 68% humidity in the tank. My numbers are stable. Each time I handle her it goes a bit better, although she can flinch every now and then. I try not to flinch when she flinches.