Welcome! You've come to the right place!

Don't worry about leaving him alone for a while. He won't forget what hands are haha. Ball pythons are very docile and rarely bite. Most bites are feeding responses so just be careful not to get tagged when he is expecting food. It is fairly easy to see the difference in posture when the snake is on the prowl. They don't just bite out of nowhere.

As for enclosure, I would keep it on the smaller end. Ball pythons seem to feed better in a smaller enclosure.

A few newbie mistakes I see a lot are not using a thermostat with a heat source, using analog thermometers, and feeding prey that is too small. Take a look at the stickies on the forum and they should help you avoid some of these mistakes that can end up being costly.

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