Passive feeding response?

Hey guys, just looking for a little input on my new guys feeding response. He was a bit of a slow starter with the breeder, but started up and hasn't looked back. The one thing I have noticed with him is that he generally does not want to mess with a moving rat. He is on a 5 dag schedule and has yet to miss a meal, but on all of them but tonight he has refused to hit it off the tongs. Most of my snakes are waiting at the front of the tub for the food by the time it is warmed up, but most of the time he barely has his nose poking out. When I dangle in front of the hide, he hisses and balls up. I just leave the warm f/t out front, and it is gone the next morning. What I was wondering is this: could there be any downsides to this? I am obviously happy that he is eating, but I am a bit worried that his food drive will fade as he gets older. I don't want him to miss any meals (would love to see killerbee fires next season :) ) but I was thinking that I might make the extra effort to get him munching off the tongs. Thoughts? I could just be worrying too much, but I want to keep him on the right track. Thanks!

If he wants it laying still and dead in front of him, then give it to him that way. If he starts refusing, worry about it then.

But how are you offering? Are you putting your body behind the rat so when he looks at the rat all he sees is you? Have you tried standing off to the side? What did you do different this most recent time so he (I assume) ate off the tongs?

My female spider does the same thing, except she doesn't hiss and ball up. She won't bite and constrict, but rather just eat the rat as it lays still in her tub. The downside is that she doesn't eat as much as my more feeding-response-aggresive ball pythons. I don't know why this is, but I don't complain. Some ball pythons work in the most mysterious ways :P