New parent!

[Craiga 01453]

Congrats on your first snake and welcome to the forum. You've found a great place to learn.

As for where to start, I suggest reading the basic husbandry stickies on this forum. They will answer a lot of your questions in one simple place.

1) Probing and popping can both be done to determine the sex of the animal. But PLEASE don't attempt either. Please let somebody experienced do it for you.

2) Age is almost impossible to guess accurately. I would say early 2017 though, but can't get much more accurate than that.

3) Stress free: Start with proper husbandry you will learn in the stickies. Husbandry is the most important thing for BPs. Proper temps, humidity, hides, etc... are hugely important. A BP needs to feel safe and secure so proper hides, covering the sides of the enclosure, fake plants, etc... go a long way.
- Also, refrain from handling for AT LEAST a week. I personally don't handle any new snakes until they have eaten three consecutive meals without refusal.

4) When a BP goes into shed it is important to keep your humidity bumped up a little higher to about 70-75%. Misting the enclosure helps, adding damp sphagnum moss inside the hides helps, a damp towel laid on top of hides helps, and additional water dish helps. There are lots of ways to bump humidity. Remember though, a proper shed starts with proper husbandry. Bumping humidity during the actual shed process helps, but proper husbandry is your best friend.

5) Read, read, read. Learn, learn, learn. The more you know about your animal, the better you can care for it. Don't be afraid to ask questions, we are here to help. Pay attention to who the knowledgeable, experienced keepers are and learn from them. Remember, not everything you read is true, so, consider the source when learning. With forums and groups like these it's easy to regurgitate info, but nothing speaks like experience and genuine knowledge. That being said, there are more than one right way to do things, so experiment with different things to find what works best for you and your animal.

Hope I helped, feel free to ask any more questions you may have.
Good luck with your new pet!

P.S. I saw something in a reply above about tape. VERY important to NEVER put tape inside the enclosure. Sticky substances like tape and snakes DO NOT mix. I know the member who typed that knows this, but I want to make sure it is clear to a beginner.