I got him as a hatchling from a petstore. I fed him twice a week for probably the first 6 months I had him. Now, he gets fed 1 med or large rat once a month (that's all he will eat). My best friend teases me that everything is bigger than it should be at my house like we have nuclear waste or somethin. Lol! I never thought he would get this big being a ball....but i just love him. He is very sweet, has never even thought about biting anybody. He actually belongs to my 4 yr old daughter. Lol!