Generally you wait 1 week after its home to try and feed. As for handling, most say don't handle 24 hours prior to feeding and 2-3 days after feeding. But each snake is different. My red tail boa will eat no matter what I do. She is a machine. I actually pick her up while she is holding her rat and put her into a shallow heavy ceramic dish so she doesn't eat aspen. My baby bp started eating 2 days after I got her home and I can handle her prior to feeding and she still goes ape:cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: for a rat when I put it in. So like I said, each snake has its own personality but what I said above is the general rule.