Congrats on acquiring our first ball python Dave, I'm sure you'll enjoy him/her. Sounds like you're overseas (we have a number of members from England, Scotland and Ireland here)?

Just a few thoughts....(please don't feel overwhelmed though LOL)...

I'd think about ditching the paperbox hides and replacing them with a couple of identical plastic type things. No need to spend a fortune, a couple of small bowls from the shops with a entrance hole cut out are winners. You want something dark in color and barely bigger than the snake when it's curled up. They love to feel crammed into their hides...make them very secure and a secure, safe snake is a happy one LOL. Some BP's like to urinate/defecate in their hides so plastic is just a lot easier to keep sanitary.

Aspen is a perfect substrate for BP's by the way. A lot of us use that or just plain kraft paper, papertowels or newpaper also works.

We have a lovely caresheet here if you haven't had a chance to go over it yet here's the link. Feel free to ask any questions or concerns you have at any time, we're here to help.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=52

How did you come up with the age on the snake? Did this less than stellar pet shop breed it? Did they mention if it actually ate for them and what they successfully fed it?

If you have access to a decent vet that can do a fecal float for you I'd encourage you to get one done. It's best to know right up front whether you are dealing with a healthy snake or not. You can just take the first poop you find and pop it in a ziploc type sandwich bag, put it in your fridge and drop it to the vet as soon as possible. Some of them will do the float while you wait and it generally isn't a huge amount of money. A full vet visit might be in order as well if you have any concerns that this snake wasn't well cared for.

Do you know if this is in fact a captive born and bred baby snake or could it be a recent wild import? This is important as a lot of imports can have parasites both internally and externally.

As I said don't feel overwhelmed by all this. Just trying to help you focus on a few things here so you can have a successful experience with your lovely little snake.