Ball pythons tend to be head shy - they just don't like having their heads touched. With regular gentle handling, your little guy may get over that in time - or s/he may not.

Really, with a new pet, you're _both_ learning the best ways to interact with each other. If you learn to pay attention to what the snake is expressing, you'll learn the sorts of attention it's willing to accept.

You say the snake ate a mouse at the store - has s/he eaten for you yet? You might want to ease off on the picking-up-and-playing-with until s/he's comfortable enough to eat in your setup.

Good luck with your little guy!

~Bruce