I am about to inherit a ball python from a friend who is moving and cannot take her snake with her. We are uncertain of the snake's age, but he's at least five years old. (We also do not know the sex, but generally refer to him as a "he".)

She's giving me his tank (30 gallon), two hides, some kind of plastic leaf decoration, the mesh lid to his tank, a bungee cord to keep it shut, two heat lamps (one for day, one for night, apparently), and the timer that switches one lamp off and the other on.

She's been keeping him on paper towels, but I went ahead and bought some aspen for reptiles for him.

My main issue is the feeding. She feeds him live mice because he simply has zero interest in pre-killed. He also refuses white mice and will only eat brown or spotted or other non-white mice. Now I have no problem with buying him a live, brown mouse once a week, but it would be more convenient for me if I could just buy a pack of frozen mice and thaw one for him once a week.

How can I switch him from live mice to pre-killed? And can he really distinguish between a white mouse and a non-white mouse? Not that I think she's making it up, but maybe she just tried giving him white mice when he wasn't in a mood to eat.

Also... he's about to shed. Should we wait until he's done shedding to transport him from her house to my apartment (like a five minute drive) or is it OK to move him while he's shedding?

And one last thing. I do know of a vet the specializes in exotics nearby. Do I need to take the snake to the vet for a check-up, as I would with a dog or cat, or do I only need to take him to the vet if something's off with him (the snake, not the vet )?

Thanks in advance!

Jennifer