A Couple of Questions

[Cheesenugget]

Hey Guys

First post, so please go easy

Loved snakes since I was a kid but finally been lucky enough (wore my wife down over years) to own my first BP, Morpheus.

He's absolutely amazing, feeds like a beast, and handles perfectly. I've had him since the start of Feb this year, hasn't missed a meal but he seems to do everything slower than I've read, which is fine but I'd love some reassurance as I get to know him and his behaviours:

1) I was concerned he hadn't pooped for some weeks, it was 6 weeks before I found one, although I had found several urates. I'm pretty sure this is fine now having read lots and he has no bulging.
2) When he arrived in Feb he'd shed on the journey, whilst I don't know if this is the case (the breeder could have just popped it in there) everything I read says he should shed about every 4-6 weeks, its been about 10 weeks now. He recently went very quiet and didn't come out in the evenings (this lasted around 10 days but he did feed), I kept a close eye on him and after about 9 days he went into blue, that cleared up 5 days ago and when I went in tonight to refresh his water and wet his moss, he was really curious again so he's clearly hungry now (last feed 8 days ago). I don't want to feed him before he sheds as I understand this can cause issues. My question is, when will he likely shed after 'blue'?
3) Final question, I clearly have the BP bug now and plan to buy a second, initially I got a male as they're smaller and more 'wife' friendly my plan is to have x2 4ft vivs upstairs outta the way but at what age/length/weight is it ok to move Morpheus into a larger viv? He seems very at home at the moment but when he's big enough the plan is to move him into a 4ft (I'd replicate the current layout) then use his current viv as a starter home for a baby female.

All said and done, he seems very healthy and perfect in everyway, I'm just a worrier and want everything to be perfect. I'd welcome any advice.

Thanks

Garf

1. Most pythons take a lot longer to metabolize food compared to active snakes like colubrids. Ball pythons is no exception. If the prey item is too small, you might not see poop for a long time. That is a sign to look into checking if you are feeding the right size. Normally, you should find a poop once a week or every other week. Some may even go 3 weeks until they poop. Imo, pinky rats have little to no bone matter and it's mostly fat/water, so poops may take awhile.

2. I didn't read the whole paragraph. To answer your question, it may take a few days from the time you see the blue to the actual shed. Make sure your humidity is bumped up a little during this time and providing something like a cork bark or rocks for it to rub against when needed would be helpful. When humidity is up, air flow should not be blocked.

3. My advice is to wait. You are currently in the honeymoon phase when you get a new pet. You may think or feel differently 6 months from now, maybe you will see a different species that caught your eye, or your current snake suddenly requires vet care, etc. Collecting too many, even 1 more too quickly, may not be a good idea. Window shop, do more research, focus on adding enrichment for your enclosure. Save up to upgrading your thermostat if you are using a cheaper version. Make a wishlist of the snakes you think that you may want, wait 30 days, and look back at that list. Did your interest change? Did you check out which breeder you may want to buy from? There is no rush. There will always be ball pythons available in the market for you to buy when the time is right.