In reply to the first post, Kudos! The word stress does not apply to a snake as it would to you or me. Stress is a complex emotion/feeling/state of mind that a ball-python is incapable off. We should inturn talk about its capability to adapt to its environment. Newbies, in my experience, usually tend to keep their animals in a glass tank, an enclosure that does not retain heat and humidity very well unless one really knows how to achive this. It is this thermal chaos which eventually leads to a condition usually expressed through refusal of food and frequent shedding to name a few, that we tend to slap the word "stressed" upon. This is why I tend to encourage new owners to keep their animals in a rubbermaid/sterilite equivalent. Unlike its glass counterpart, they maintain AND retain heat and humidity much better. This in turn leads to a well adapted companion animal. Once again, I congratulate you on switching over