Snake bit himself...

I've inherited a 13-year-old Ball Python, Jake, and have just fed him for the 2nd time. When I put him in a bin with the rat, he got so excited. But, he missed the rat but, Jake bit himself in the side. For several minutes, he kept biting his own side. Is this normal? I can't see any wounds on him, I didn't see anything ooze from his side. What should I do? Help me please...I'm new at this!

Hi, April. I've never heard of a BP biting itself. Was the rat live, and if so, has Jake always eaten live prey? Also, how often do you feed him?

He probly wasn't biting himself for several minutes. He probly realized he bit himself and was trying to let go, I've seen their teeth get stuck on prey and they have to kinda naw to get loose.

As long as there was no visible blood, he's probly fine.

Boids have teeth that angle toward the back of their mouths that way they can "walk" their prey into their stomachs. I have never seen it either but i would have died laughing. He should be fine just use a flashlight and check for any teeth that may be embeded.

We do feed Jake live prey because that's what his former owner fed him. So, it was a medium rat.

I will check him over with a flashlight tonight. I didn't know that his teeth could come out...it never occurred to me. Thanks a lot! I feel a little better now. When I feed him from now on, I'll have a camera handy just in case this is "his thing" so I can share it with you. :-)

We feed him one medium to large rat every 3 weeks. At least, this is what his former owner did, and I'm carrying on what he's accustomed to. Any suggestions for changing this?

Yes, try feeding pre killed or thawed. It takes a lot of time and effort, but it protects your snake from being badly hurt by the prey. Read the ball python caresheet, I personally wrote it and it is very helpful. You might enjoy the feeding section.

Okay, I was only wondering because you said he got "so excited" when you put him in the bin with the rat, as if that was something out of the ordinary. You might want to consider killing or stunning the rat just before you feed it to Jake, that way he doesn't have to contend with a moving target.

Also, you might try upping your feeding frequency so that he doesn't get quite as hungry between feedings. I'd try him on a 10-14 day feeding schedule and see how he does.

He did get "so excited!" I have never seen him move so quickly - not even the first time I fed him. Next time, I'll try pre-killed and see what he does. His former owner could not get him to switch from live to prekilled. Maybe he didn't wait it out long enough. How long should I let him go hungry (assuming he refused to eat prekilled) before I offer him something live? (If this is in the material already referenced, I'll read it there.) Thanks for you help!

If I go to a 10 - 14 day feeding cycle, do I stick with the same size rat or a smaller one?

The same size rat, though preferably stunned or prekilled for his safety.

Hi April! Welcome to the forums! Everyone else has said all I would have said about the rats, so I won't repeat any of that. I will say that I've read several different stories of snakes biting themselves when they miss their prey...so while it may be rare, it's not unheard of. It'd be interesting to know if that is a habit for him, or if it was just a freak accident when you happened to be watching.

I'd do what Marla suggests and try him on a 10-14 day feeding cycle. If he doesn't eat prekilled on the first try, wait a week and try again. But don't give up too quickly. If he doesn't immediately go for the dead rat, turn out the lights, leave the room, and wait an hour or two. If he's hungry, he'll eat the rat.

LOL, I laughed when I read the title of this thread! Man that must be one hungry snake to try and eat itself!

Update: I've checked with Jake's former owner, and she tells me that Jake has never bitten himself before. She thought it was funny too! So, this was unusual. Jake's only been with me a month, so, he may be disoriented in his new surroundings. I will try a dead rat next time, and I'll adjust him to a more frequent eating schedule, but my friend tells me she could never get him to eat anything dead, and he's always been a super-eater on the live stuff. But, again, I will try it. I'm going to start with a fresh-kill, and if I can adjust him to that, I'll move on to try the frozen/thawed rats. I've never owned a reptile before...this is quite an experience! Thanks again for all of your help and I'll write another update to let you know how Jake is doing. Also, there were no teeth embedded in his skin, and its difficult to even find the wound. So, although it looked painful and traumatic, Jake didn't do much damage to himself.

Glad he's doing ok, and definitely let us know how it goes with feeding him. :)