It is extremely possible and even likely the snake is simply stressed out and hungry.
Baby ball pythons eat voraciously and grow ridiculously fast. They level off in time.
Feeding in the enclosure is not a big no-no, the myth that you must move them to prevent aggression is just that, a myth. In fact moving them to feed can cause a lot of the stress symptoms and striking you describe. I have 15 balls myself, and they all eat in their enclosures, from hatchlings to breeder females.
Now, feeding him a "larger small to medium rat " should be enough food, so my guess is that he's stressed out and that is a large portion of his aggression. The horrible stink you smelled was almost certainly musk, which is what scared, stressed out snakes do, it's a defense mechanism.
I presume since you said you've spent a lot of money on him, that you have done your best to provide him with a safe, secure environment but I'm gonna ask anyway. What size is his enclosure ? How do you heat it ? Are the temps regulated by a thermostat ? What are you using for hides ? How big are the hides in relation to the snake ? How is the humidity ? You say he is in a opaque tub, is it white or colored or..? If he's in a corner, are at least two sides of the tub against the wall to afford some sense of privacy ? What about the lid to the tub ?
I'm sure someone with much more knowledge than myself can tell you about the disease in question, but these answers will provide us a starting point to help you figure out what is wrong.
Gale
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