Quote Originally Posted by frankykeno
One piece of advice we got....for the first while, put papertowels only in the bottom so you can easily see the snake's poop and urate (the white hard stuff that is a snake's urine).
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Some of the advice we were given when purchasing our baby snake was too look for any evidence of mites or ticks on the snake, very lightly pinch the skin of the side of the snake to see if it "tents" as this means dehydration, to check for any retained shed on the snake (especially retained eyecaps), find out if the snake is really captive bred and if it's been eating and shedding as it should, ask to see the snake feed if possible, check for any evidence of bubbling or wheezing as this can be a very serious respitory issue, make sure it's backbone is not pronounced (sort of a triangular shape) which can mean the snake is underweight. Just generally feels fit and athletic in your hands, not wispy light and at all "limp". Hopefully some of the more experienced owners can chime in here with advice on picking a healthy young snake.

Oh and find a vet locally that will see your snake and can sex it if you want that and do a general health check or deal with any emergencies that might come up.
Very good advice, all of that. Getting a healthy animal to start with and having the enclosure ready with the right conditions before the animal is in it can make a huge difference in whether a ball python makes a good beginner snake. If you're having to experiment on the snake to get husbandry issues worked out or if it's an overstressed wild caught ball, you may have a lot of problems with feeding, shedding, and temperament, but a well-established feeding captive bred ball of any age with a prepared and alert keeper can be a wonderful experience. I guess like a lot of things it boils down to you get out of it what you put into it.

Welcome to the site, by the way!