Why do some of them take FOREVER to strike?

Out of all of my SSTP's and bloods, none of them have ever struck at their food except one, my female black SSTP (she hits like a truck lol).

The only way any of my other snakes will eat is if I place the f/t rat on a paper plate and lay it in front of them. After a minute or so they gently grab the rat and take it to their hide to consume. Not sure why but makes feeding very easy and its kind of cute in a way how gentle they are with their food. I've tried dangling food in front of them, but they will never strike, think I have a room full of lazy snakes lol

I just received 2 new bloods yesterday so I will have to see how they will feed.

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Originally Posted by hungba

Yes, it does make it sound very different when you leave out part of my sentence, and underline certain words for emphasis, doesn't it?

Try this:
"Sure I can just take the rat away and wait till next week but the whole idea is to try to get them to eat and gain weight for breeding etc. over time."

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By the way, I agree that a ball python doesn't eat for some weeks is no cause for concern about their immediate health unless they loose a lot of weight or some other symptoms, but if there is some reason they are not eating instead of they are just full then it should be corrected.

Since those snakes are eating, I am tending to think they are not simply "not hungry". Of course they may be, but to continually have a snake not eat/able to eat because that snake is shy or scared for whatever reason, and thus take longer to strike, I think is not a good thing. That was the whole point of this post to ask what are possible reasons some of my snakes would take so long to strike, while others kept the same do so immediately.

Could be just personality. I don't know. I am going to try switch to dark tubs as my friend has good success with his lot that were problem feeders.

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Semantics, but you cannot write "whole idea is breeding...even over time", and then wonder where most of us got the idea you were in a hurry to get the animal to breeding size"

If you read most of the responses "striking", is not a requirement, nor is it an indicator the snake is shy or scared. He may not want his prey dangled. He may want to eat only in the dark. (They are naturally nocturnal). Nor are the habits of other BPs' you own a real basis for comparison. If your husbandry is right, he/she will eventually eat. My male has gone months at a time without eating, and then he goes for periods when he eats real well.

I have 5 with 4 different eating personalities.

Several, including myself have posted that you should feed the snake at a quiet/dark time.A Dark tubs will certainly help you in that regard.

I always try to go by this motto: "Snake's pace, not mine"