Unusual feeding Method, for BP's anyway!

[mfkelly]

I have been switching my female albino to F/T. She took one F/T mouse off tongs but has refused for the last 3 weeks. Every week I offered and she showed interest but no strike. She has a top entry hide so while she was in her hide I just placed the mouse sort of hanging 1/2 in. and left. I checked an hour later and mouse gone! I am used to my corns doing this but not my BP's. Is this more common than I think or am I just lucky that she will take F/T this way. Let me know.
Mike

[ballpythonluvr]

My female normal used to eat f/t small rats. I would just heat them up and lay them in the enclosure and then I would leave and turn out the lights. After about an hour, I would check in on her and the rat would be gone. Some bp's are just really shy about eating and others not so much, they will just take the prey right from the tongs.

[kitedemon]

Mike all I can say is mine has never not taken a rat. I usually wiggle it around and he takes it from the tongs but I have dropped it twice, One it landed on his back and he took it from there. He is a super aggressive feeder so I am not sure that that is common either. It doesn't come as a huge shock to me yours taken from a shelter top. I think that they are all individuals and have quirks. It is just a matter of finding you snakes quirks. What ever works hopefully this will keep working good luck.
Alex

[Paysons Bps]

Try feeding her freshly killed instead of F/T, some ball pythons take better to freshly killed. Hope this helped =D

-Payson

[Angry J]

I only feed F/T mice and rats. My adult male will sometimes refuse a rat unless it is really warm. If he does refuse it, I warm it up a little and he usually takes it.

[Kaorte]

Sometimes this is the only way I can get my snakes to eat. I will sit there and dangle it forever. And then right when I lay it down they start eating XD

[mpkeelee]

its not that uncommon. sometimes mine will strike like they never eat (they eat every 7) and sometimes i have to leave it half in their hide for a while and they just slowly start to chew on it. whatever gets them to eat is ok with me

[WakoNako]

First 2 or 3 weeks ours wouldn't strike at the tongues, but we got this little feeder heater from pet smart, its a clay pot with a shelf in it.

Put it in the microwave, full of water for 2 minutes and then put the f/t mouse on the shelf for 5 minutes with teh lid closed.

Soon as we tried this method he strikes instantly at the mouse.

[A.VinczeBPs]

Some will strike some won't. It's fairly common to have to leave a f/t in the bin/tank/enclosure for a time for the ball to eat. As long as it's gone by morning I have no problem with it.
From what I've seen as well 55%-60% of over-night bin eaters will eventually learn to strike once they feel more comfortable. Some never do, but again, as long as they eat.

[unhip_crayon]

I'm having weird feeding problems as well. I leave the rat on top of the lid to thaw out for an hour or so and almost instantly he sticks his head out of his hide (he's usually in his hide till 2am, I'm feeding him at 9pm, so he's probably hungry)

I dangle it in front of him...nothing. So I leave it over night just outside his hide, he stares at it for hours and when I wake up in the morning, its still there. What the hell?

After the rat thaws out a bit, I put it in a baggie and inside a cup of warm water. Am I doing something wrong here? He hasn't eating in 3 weeks and about 8 months old