BP Eating Weird

[piper]

Hello,

Just curious, I just picked up a few new BP's(spider, mojave, normal) does anyone have a BP that when offered it's food doesn't strike or constrict? Just simply goes over, smells it and just starts eating it? I feed f/t. I have no other feeding problems with any of my bp's.

Thanks

[likebull1]

Yea one of my black pastels and spider does it, but most commonly my corns do it almost every time.
It reminds me of a dog fetching a stick.

[piper]

Yea one of my black pastels and spider does it, but most commonly my corns do it almost every time.
It reminds me of a dog fetching a stick.

haha that's funny.
It's good I don't feed my spider or my mojave live. They would be bitten in a second. The spider, so far, has missed her first strike every time, I have to nudge the rat with a snake hook and she ends up grabbing it by the rear end with the head completely exposed.

[Kaorte]

I am pretty sure they can tell the difference between live and dead prey. I used to feed f/t then switched to live and then back to f/t. Both snakes struck and constricted the live, but not the F/T.

I am not 100% sure about this but I am pretty sure in the wild, ball pythons will eat animals that are already dead. Like scavengers.

[DustinB]

Mine did the same thing when I fed it for the first 2 times, f/t hoppers. Just tasted it and ate it. First time I did a live hopper I was a bit nervous he would get bit or not know how to kill it. Within 5 seconds of dropping the live hopper in he stuck right on the hopper's face and contricted perfectly. Still a little bit nervous of him getting bit but I'm going to continue with live because I read that freezing depletes some vitamins, although I may start thumping them or killing with c02 right before I feed him.

[Spaniard]

Still a little bit nervous of him getting bit but I'm going to continue with live because I read that freezing depletes some vitamins, although I may start thumping them or killing with c02 right before I feed him.

There is nothing wrong with feeding frozen thawed, nor are there any published studies on the nutritional requirements of ball pythons. I feed almost all my snakes F/T and they are all growing well.

If you choose to feed live, do so without thumping; it is inhumane and unnecessary. It's ok for you to feel nervous but realize that these snakes evolved to strike and constrict live prey. A properly sized live rodent should not be an issue.

If you want to feed pre-killed the CO2 method is a humane form to accomplish this.