Where Do Ball Pythons Generally Strike?

[tdrusk]

Last night was the second time I fed my bp. He is eating live mice. He is almost year old and is eating once a month. Anyway, the first time I fed him he struck at it on the side of the mouse. This time it looked more like he got the head of it. The mouse seemed to squirm around more. Have you guys noticed any trends in strike patterns? I know that mice will bite back. Should I be concerned that it bit back in his mouth?

I'm not really too worried. He looked pretty content last night and yawned. I didn't see anything odd in his mouth.

[KMG]

Eating only once a month? Why?

[swansonbb]

Some people watch each & every live feeder, some toss them in and come back to check to make sure it has been dispatched. With just the one, you might consider having a pencil on the ready to intervene if it looks like the mouse will be able to injure your snake. Just don't leave a live feeder in with your snake for an extended period of time.

Is he only eating once a month because that's all you're offering, or because he refuses the rest of the time?

[satomi325]

Head striking is the preferred spot for all of my ball pythons.
No issues yet. Its when the prey's head is loose is when there might be problems.

A mouse once a month is not enough food.
I feed adults rats once every 7-10 days. Babies twice a week.

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[Annarose15]

Snakes know how to hunt, so I wouldn't be too worried where he strikes. People put a lot of warnings out about supervising live feedings, but the risk is minimal unless you leave a live rodent unattended for a long period of time.

I second the above question - Why are you feeding so little? We typically recommend feeding weekly with a rodent that is 10-15% of his body weight, or his same diameter at his thickest point. Young hatchlings can take an adult mouse, so he should be eating bigger prey or multiple mice by now.

[tdrusk]

Snakes know how to hunt, so I wouldn't be too worried where he strikes. People put a lot of warnings out about supervising live feedings, but the risk is minimal unless you leave a live rodent unattended for a long period of time.

I second the above question - Why are you feeding so little? We typically recommend feeding weekly with a rodent that is 10-15% of his body weight, or his same diameter at his thickest point. Young hatchlings can take an adult mouse, so he should be eating bigger prey or multiple mice by now.

As for why he is not eating once a month, I assume because he is not hungry. I offer once a week and we have noticed that he only goes for it once a month.

[tdrusk]

Here is a size comparison of the snake to the mouse. It's the best I could do. The mouse seems to be a little smaller than his widest point. 1 year old may be an exaggeration. I am not sure how old he is but I know he is younger.