# Ball Pythons > BP Husbandry >  strikes, but doesn't eat

## mandalorian

Been feeding my baby ball for the last month.  He's a good eater until recently.  I will thaw out a frozen hopper and do the ol hair dryer thingy.  He strikes like lightning and hangs on for a while and slowly starts to swallow.  After about 15-20 minutes, he will just stop swallowing and leave the slimey f/t hopper.  Husbandry is on the dot with the exceptions it being a little warmer then normal.  Will wait a week and try again.  It's not a regurg because the mouse never passes his head.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.



mando

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## Dorrox

Any chance the hopper is to big? Reason I ask is if hes starting to eat it then stops (20min to me is a long time), its not like he wasnt hungry or unintereted in it to start. Something stopped him.

Other thing is I have had a few times when, for some reason, they have trouble finding the head of the mouse and after a while get frustated and the mouse gets cold and they leave it. Once I reheat it and present it again they hit and normally eat fine.

Good luck

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## dr del

Hi,


Also eating is a very vulnerable time for a snake as they cannot easily strike or run away from any danger that may present itself.

What this can mean is that if they feel nervous or disturbed they abandon eating as "too dangerous".

Do you hover watching him when he's eating or is it in a bright barren area where he may feel exposed?

If the answer is yes to any of those you might want to try feeding with the lights off and leaving him to feed in private. Their eyesight isn't the greatest so you might be able to watch from across the room  or keeking round a door.


dr del

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## Lucryth

A bit off topic, 
but Dr. del, my snake has no problems letting me watch him/her eat.
Drop the mouse in there and watch the magic happen.
Today was extra weird because he/she missed once, last feeding he/she missed afew times. Thats really odd for me because its just never happened.
But me being around watching the feeding process seems to have no affect on my snake at all.

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## dr del

Hi,


It varies from snake to snake and sometimes it changes as they become more used to their routine and the environment around them.

Most of mine couldn't care less if I was dressed in euphonium's and woad and doing a wardance while they ate but my largest female is still shy and will not eat unless I am well away from her and the room is kind of still.

My hatchling was also shy at first but now doesn't give a hoot. The african house snake is even wierder - one week he will strike feed from my hand and go at it like a lunatic and the next week will sniff it but only eat if I lay it gently in front of him and walk away.

Basically it changes but if it won't eat it's always something worth considering. :Very Happy:  


dr del

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## Lucryth

Well I guess I got a piggy on my hands cause I'll drop the hopper on down and within about a minute its being constricted.
This is also a repeated pattern every saturday around two pm.
But what could be the reason for a missed strike?
Just bad luck or the snake being over-excited its being fed?
Ah, sorry for kinda taking this thread completely off topic.  :Sad:

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## dr del

Hi,

Yeah I think over-excited is a likely reason - when little cora was just starting eating she got so wound up she positively vibrated and if she missed would flail about with her mouth open till she hit something. :Very Happy:  

Some days I suspect my snakes are a little more "special" than they should be. :Embarassed:  


dr del

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## frankykeno

Well an f/t hopper should be a fine size and not too big so I don't think that's the issue for the spitting out behaviour. If you are sure you're fully thawing and warming up the prey correctly, then I'm betting this is just a snake that got spooked while feeding. I've had a full sized adult female do this when I accidentally bumped her enclosure with my hip while she was in the process of swallowing. They feel very vulnerable then, they can't fight or flee easily with a mouth full of rat/mouse, so their only option if they feel threatened is to spit it back (not a regurge as it was never fully swallowed).

We've had a couple of snakes here that must have their enclosures covered while they eat so I keep some old dark blue sheets around. Leave them exposed, they will refuse to eat....cover them up temporarily, they hit the prey faster than the eye can see.  :Smile:

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## mandalorian

ok, he finally ate yesterday.  warmed up the hopper a little longer w/the hair dryer and he struck,constricted and swallowed.  thanks for the help.. c u guys this wknd at NARBC in Anaheim.


mando

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