We're a little different.
We also pretty much ignore him for 2 days after a feed. His feed cycle is around 10 days, we wait for the 3rd night of active hunting to feed him. The first night he gets lazy and gives up after an hour, last night be was hunting for about 2.5 to 3 hours. Tonight he will be out a bit earlier and we will feed him around 10pm.
He was out 4 times during the last cycle, which is 1 more than normal. We changed the bedding in the tank, so he got an extra play.
Removing pee-pee's is a good excuse to pull him out for a quick play.
But our playing sessions are kept to a 5-15 minute time frame depending on how much is being done in his tank. I don't mind giving him fresh water every 2-3 days instead of top ups. When the gf is playing with the snake, I'm free to run downstairs and clean the bowl and re fill it.
I can't stress it enough, you'll read a lot of stuff here from a lot of people who have studied their life away on this stuff. But what matters is the snake in front of you. As long as you read the snakes body language correctly, you in theory shouldn't ever run into any problems.
So much depends on the attitude of the snake.
I have read....and I say that while rolling my eyes as I'm a big practical guy that hates theories. I have read that if you go 2+ weeks without handling your Ball / Royal Python you need to re adapt with caution.
I have only gone into my tank once when I was unsure of his posture. I actually waited and talked to him (I know what a stooge) until he started moving around and flicking his tongue out. When he was in a better position, I was able to scoop him. Every other time, he has pretty much assumed the position and waited to curl up in my hands.
Royal / Ball Pythons are great pets, they are far more smart and far more predictable than I think most people realize.
When people ask me a question about animals, I always ask them this..."Well, what's your animal telling you about this...and why are you asking me" :p
It just takes time and practice.
Kaaii...
Can I ask you, what kind of a set up do you have planned?
You're in a great position here to have everything set up heat/humidity wise before you bring your snake home. This will put you at a huge advantage. I did about 2 weeks of research in the evenings before buying and was tinkering with the heat/humidity the week before surprising my girlfriend with a snake.
Just browse these forums and see the silly questions asked by people who impulse bought their snakes and it takes them 3-6 months to learn, while they make posts about their snake not eating every week :p
You can follow my path and nail it all on the first try
Some may say small sample size to me, but I've excelled at everything I put effort into...so I say skill :p
Best of Luck my friend!
I can't wait to see what kinds of snakes you're looking into 6 months from now when you realize how quickly and easily you mastered Royals
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