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Re: Got a new ball python, worrying about picking him up
 Originally Posted by wnateg
Quite a bit to unpack here, but I can touch on a couple points.
You should stop the frequent checkups. Constantly messing with him (picking up his hide, touching him, etc) is only stressing him out, and it will most likely make him lash out when you try to interact with him. Lastly, if he's going into shed, stop touching him at all. Make sure the humidity is good and keep the cage closed until he's shed. It mostly sounds to me that touching him as much as you are is becoming counterproductive.
Feeding 7-8 in a month is probably too much, depending on how big he is. Here's a feeding chart thrown around on here:

This^
I used this chart myself when I first brought my BP home and while you typically go off size of the snake instead of the weight, this chart ended up being spot on for me. Also, as Wnateg said, leave him alone while he's shedding. You're just letting humidity out and causing stress. Remember, these guys can't see as well when they're shedding so all he sees is a big blob reaching in after him. Give him a week or so to shed, and then you can start your handling sessions back up.
Once he gets comfortable, at least this is how mine did, he'll come out at night and explore. That's when I would do my handling. I've never taken him out of a hide, or even lifted a hide with him under it unless it was cleaning day, or if it was getting close to feeding time and I was checking to see if he was in blue. I leave my guy alone all day, and when he comes out at night then I sneak in for 5-10 minutes of "play time".
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