11 month old Ball Python Female Q's...

[snakesRkewl]

Hi there! I am new to the forums and new to owning a snake. I got my lovely lady Andromeda when she was 9 months old in March. I was just wondering how large a snake of her age should be (she is 2 feet and 5 inches) and how often I should feed her. Her warm side is 82 degrees F and the cool is 75 with a hide on each side. I feed her 1 large mouse every 6 days because the mouse is about the same size as her fattest part.

I am ashamed to say that I got her from Petsmart, being unaware of the stress and underfeeding that happens there. But I don't regret getting her, as she is a beautiful and wonderful lady who is willing to sit in my lap for hours without moving as I read while I stroke her neck. She even lets me rub her cheeks! Is that normal?

Temps should be about:

78-80 cool end
86-87 warm end and if you have a UTH about 90-92 directly on the hot spot

82 is too cold for the warm end of the enclosure

Snakes all grow at their own pace, we don't keep track of lengths too much, weight in grams is how we describe the size of a snake.