Hi. I just got my first BP at an expo a few days ago. The only other snake I've had was a plains garter snake. I was careful not to walk in blindly, though, and have done plenty of research.

However, I do need some help and suggestions on a few things, since I'm not very experienced in ball pythons yet.

I've heard various arguments on what rodent should be fed to a ball python. The breeder who sold him to us said he was on rats, but I'd heard that mice work too, and thought they would be easier to aquire at such short notice. After I got him, I stopped by a reptile store and bought five feeder mice (the expo only sold frozen or pinky mice, and I'm not allowed to keep frozen rodents in our freezer). But now, I'm hearing that it might be best to make sure he stays on rats. I will be getting a freezer just for rodents soon.

My questions are:

Will he be too hard to get back onto frozen rats if he eats these five live mice?

What size rats should he be eating? I was told he isn't full grown, and he's about 31 inches. I tried to weigh him but I only have access to a normal scale. I put him in a bowl on it and tried to subtract the weight of the bowl from the snake, but the bowl wasn't heavy enough to register. If what it said was true, my snake is 300g-400g. It might not be accurate at all.

How often should he be fed (mice vs rats)?

If I'm feeding him mice right now, should I give him one or two?

How long do I have to wait to handle him? It's been 2-3 days since I got him, and I'll be honest, I've been handling him quite bit, but mostly to clean out his tank or weigh/ measure him.

When should I feed him? I made a mistake and didn't ask the breeder when he was last fed, when he last shed, or how old he was. And now I can't seem to get a hold of them. Would it do any harm to wait a week from when I got him?

Thank you for any help!