INPUT ARTICLE: Article: All snakes, including ball pythons, will grow quite a bit over the course of their lives. Ball pythons in particular will grow quite large and will require a proper living environment as they do. You should be prepared for this before you attempt to care for a ball python. Female ball pythons will grow to around 3' to 5' in length, males to around 2' to 3'. You will need to provide enough space for a fully grown ball python. You will need to feed a snake of this size large rodents. Caring for any animal is a serious commitment. You will need to feed, clean and maintain the health of your ball python over the course of its entire life. Make sure you are ready for a long-term commitment before deciding to care for a ball python. Ball pythons have lived up to 40 years. Generally, ball pythons will live between 20 to 30 years. Once you've decided that you can provide proper care for a ball python it's time to go find your new friend. Thankfully, ball pythons are very popular amongst pet owners and they are easy to find in most pet stores. Start looking for a ball python that is right for you once you feel prepared to care for it. Reptile breeders will likely have ball pythons available. Attending a reptile expo can also help you find your new ball python. Ball pythons should already be eating and well fed before you buy them. Snakes aren't used to being held in the wild. As a result, you will need to know when it's acceptable to hold your snake and when it will only cause stress. Take a look at some of these key ideas when considering if it's the right time to interact with your snake: Allow your snake to eat one meal in its new home before trying to handle it. Wait at least a week before handling new snakes. Don't be afraid to hold the snake after that week. Young snakes should be held no more than once a week. Adult snakes can be held around once a week. Don't interact with your ball python after it's eaten. Wait around two days after your snake eats to make sure it is comfortable. If you plan on caring for a ball python, you will need to be dedicated to maintaining and protecting its health. Keeping your snake healthy will require you to watch its behavior and actions for any changes or indications of illness. Keep an eye out for some of these common signs of illness: A ball python should normally sit in a coil. Snakes that lay straight out or keep their head up may be ill. Ball pythons that spend a lot of time soaking may be ill or uncomfortable. In the case of respiratory issues, your snake may wheeze or have mucus come out from its nose. Runny or bloody stool can indicate a digestive issue. Snakes who don't void after ten days may be constipated. Refusal of food may indicate an infection.

SUMMARY: Be aware of their size. Understand the long-term commitment. Look to purchase a ball python. Know how to handle a ball python. Be attentive.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Kitchen scales weigh substances on a much smaller basis than bathroom scales. Their accuracy, however, is still important to weight loss. Measuring food is an integral part of many diet plans and will help you track your calorie intake better. Since the substances weighed on a kitchen scale are so light, it can be tricky to test its accuracy. Kitchen scales are also extremely helpful for recipes and cooking. To make sure your digital kitchen scale begins at zero, you need to perform a taring test. This will show you whether or not your scale starts its measurements at zero. Turn on the scale. It should start at zero. If it doesn't, press down on the scale gently. Release it and see if it returns to zero. If it doesn't, press the "Tare" button on the scale. This will take the current state of the machine and make it base zero. To test that the taring process works, take an object such as an apple and place it on the scale. Once the scale finds its weight, take note of the weight and then hit the tare button to make it zero. Once it balances, lift the object off the scale. The number that remains, which will be negative, should match the number you measured before. Now that you know the scale is balanced, you need to check its weighing capabilities. Some of the smallest and easiest things to weigh are coins. Each coin has a specific weight and are very small, which will help you check the accuracy of small amounts of weight. Collect a few pennies, a few nickels, and a few quarters. These will help you figure out how accurate your machine is, depending on how specific it measures. Try to find newer change if possible. Older coins may have degraded over time and not be an accurate size. If your kitchen scale rounds to the nearest gram, you should use the nickel. Each nickel weighs five grams. Turn on your scale and make sure it is on zero. Place one nickel on the scale and note the weight. Place another nickel on the scale and note the new weight. Place one more nickel on the scale and note the weight. If your scale is accurate, the weight should have gone up by 5g each time. If it is not, try with another nickel than the one that gave you the off reading. That nickel may be older and degraded. If it is still off, the scale is likely inaccurate. Some scales are so accurate they can measure amounts as small as a tenth of a gram. If your scale does, use the pennies to check the accuracy because they weigh 2.5 grams each. Turn on the machine and make sure it is at zero. Place one penny on the scale and note the weight. Add two more pennies, noting the weight in between each one. The weights should be 2.5g, 5g, and 7.5g. If your reading is off, try a different penny than the one that gave you the wrong weight. If the weight it still off, your scale is likely inaccurate. There are some kitchen scales that are extra precise and measure to the hundredths of grams. For these machines, you need to use a quarter, which weighs 5.67g. Place one quarter on the scale and check the weight. Place another on it and check the weight. Two should be enough for this scale since all three places can be read for both weights. The weights should measure 5.67g and 11.34g. If they don't, your scale is likely inaccurate.

SUMMARY:
Learn why accuracy matters. Perform a taring check. Collect pocket change. Test a scale that rounds to the nearest gram. Check a scale that measures tenths of grams. Perform a test on a precise scale.