Is he really that hungry?

Question
I got a Ball Python two months ago. "Chopper" is about 10 months old and about 3-4 feet long. After we fist got him, Chopper would only eat once every 3 weeks. He was not much thicker than a couple of inches at best. Now he is heading towards the 6 inch mark. We have him in a 65 gallon tank and used to have a bedding of cedar chips. A friend of my wife's told us to put down a bedding of newspaper and several hides for him. He went to eating every 2 weeks and then once every five days. Now he has eaten 5 grown white mice in 6 days, last night eating 2 mice in less than an hour. The original owner said he ate 2 mice a week. Is this normal and healthy for a Ball Python, or are we doing him more harm than good? Are we over feeding him? And since he is eating so much, should we start feeding him rats?

Answer
In a word, yes, you are over feeding him. Your snake is severly overweight. Feed him once a week, a rat = to the biggest part of his body (girth).  No more than 2 rats per week if he is really active. Never use cedar or pine chips. They can be toxic. Use aspen from walmart or cypress mulch which is more cost effective.