General questions for Clarification

Question
Ok the deal is, no matter who i talk to or where i get information, it is rare and far between where i get the same answer from more then one source.  I would like a few clarifications on some questions i had regarding ball pythons.

First: How old do they live? assuming proper care
Everywhere online seems to say 25+ years on average, including the website constrictors-unlimited
the place i bought my BP from said they usually live only 10-15 years tops.  They have been in the business for over 15 years and claim to raise thousands of BP
Who do i believe?

Second: My BP has a small patch of missing scales on the top of her head towards the back and a few rough scales along the sides of her body.  Possible causes ive been told are: beginning signs of shedding, natural occurence/mutation/etc., due to her attempting to push up the screen on her tank(she is very explorative usually), or sche may have an infection.
Again... who do i believe?

Third:  The place i bought it from claim that she is 10 months old, they said she was an '07 offspring, yet typically the breeding season is from late november to march.... if she was 10 months old now, she would have been born in october... is that possible/probable?  She is also way to long for her age then.  at ten months she is over 2'2" long.  Again, is this possible?  if this is all true, then how long could I expect her to get?  Constrictors unlimited, one of the most reknown ball python breeders, says they will grow about a foot a year for the first couple years...  That means she should be 1.5 ft or less.  

Basicially I just want to know, should i trust these guys that, from my interaction and witness, seem to know what they are doing, even though their information contradicts that of other professionals?

Any info you can spare, will be greatly appreciated. THANKS!

Answer
Hello,

Ok Ball pythons get 3-5 feetlong females are the larger.

My 6 month old male is 19 icnhes long...they are genrally large at hatching and grow fast. They genrally reach 3 feet by 3 years but if fed more grow faster. Bp's live very long anywhere from 20-44 years. They do best when fed once a week one to several food items depending on the size and age of the snake, She is likey indeed 10 months of age...and could very well have hatched late in the year. She liekly had some shedding trubles before you got her and the missing scales on the head could be from being bitten by a cagemate during feeding or something else if she is eatting well and seems overall healthy I wouldn't worry but if its really bothering you check with a reptile experianced vet. If you need anything else feefree to ask.