Ignoring the offered food and reaching up and out of the enclosure

I've already observed this multiple times in my ball pythons that refuse a meal, and was wondering if other people have the same experience. Where they will seem very interested in eating, but when the food is actually offered on tongs, they instead stretch their necks out past the food and out of the tub, as if the food doesn't even exist. Of course, the food is heated and scented as it usually is, and there's nothing wrong with it. If I stick the food back right into their faces repeatedly, they'll just keep moving around it and stretching their necks out past it.

Any idea what causes it? It would help to know why, since this is often how my youngest ball "refuses" food LOL. Looking super interested, but not seeing the food.

Dottie does that sometimes too. I just chalk it up to them being a ball python and feed it someone else. Then the following week I'll try again when its feeding time for everyone again.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Dottie does that sometimes too. I just chalk it up to them being a ball python and feed it someone else. Then the following week I'll try again when its feeding time for everyone again.

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Ughh, why ball pythons. :I

My baby ball does this too. When he's getting forward too much I simply tap the rat pup on the floor in front of him or his nose and he strikes.

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Originally Posted by iLikeSneks

My baby ball does this too. When he's getting forward too much I simply tap the rat pup on the floor in front of him or his nose and he strikes.

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Dottie never did it as a baby. She would stand up like a cobra when it was dinner time and tag anything that came close lol. She rivaled my boas and retic when she was a baby at dinner time. She only does it now that she is about 2.5 years old and 1630g. She kind sets her own feeding schedule now. Some weeks she eats every week like clockwork, then she might skip a week or 2 or 3 and then go back to eating like clockwork again. Like I said, I just chalk it up to her being Dottie and have a handful of little beggars ready for that extra dinner haha.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

Ughh, why ball pythons. :I

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That's why you get boas and retics. They NEVER refuse meals haha. Heck Caesar ate a big quail 2 days ago and today when I was messing with the cages under him, he thought it was dinner time and was glues to the front of the door. When I stood up, he took a shot as the door and then I guess he saw my shadow in his cage and he took a shot at the open air lol. I slid the door open and tapped him on the head with his twisted paper towel and he mellowed out and went back in his hide and sat there with his head poking out lol. He is a freakin pig. Get one and you wont worry about your BP not eating haha.

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Originally Posted by iLikeSneks

My baby ball does this too. When he's getting forward too much I simply tap the rat pup on the floor in front of him or his nose and he strikes.

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Unfortunately mine just keep not seeing it, which is why I think it's weird. The worst thing is it's my youngest and smallest ball who is still under 300g, and it's really best if she could stop doing this. :\

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

That's why you get boas and retics. They NEVER refuse meals haha. Heck Caesar ate a big quail 2 days ago and today when I was messing with the cages under him, he thought it was dinner time and was glues to the front of the door. When I stood up, he took a shot as the door and then I guess he saw my shadow in his cage and he took a shot at the open air lol. I slid the door open and tapped him on the head with his twisted paper towel and he mellowed out and went back in his hide and sat there with his head poking out lol. He is a freakin pig. Get one and you wont worry about your BP not eating haha.

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Omg that's hilarious. I can't have retics like Caesar, but I do wish I have a boa ahaha. That said, two of my ball pythons have never refused a meal in their lives and always have a crazy feeding response. I'm pretty sure either one of them would eat anything that has a rat scent on it LOL. I guess ball pythons are just a crap shoot.

ETA: I wonder if strong feeding response could be genetic/purposely bred for. :o I would buy those ball pythons.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

Unfortunately mine just keep not seeing it, which is why I think it's weird. The worst thing is it's my youngest and smallest ball who is still under 300g, and it's really best if she could stop doing this. :\



Omg that's hilarious. I can't have retics like Caesar, but I do wish I have a boa ahaha. That said, two of my ball pythons have never refused a meal in their lives and always have a crazy feeding response. I'm pretty sure either one of them would eat anything that has a rat scent on it LOL. I guess ball pythons are just a crap shoot.

ETA: I wonder if strong feeding response could be genetic/purposely bred for. :o I would buy those ball pythons.

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How long do you leave the rat in there before you remove it? I've heard others say that their pythons will ignore the food for several minutes then return to eat.

My little Reggie started doing what you describe. He would wrap up the prey, then seemingly lose interest and start searching around the top of the tub like the dead rat was invisible. I'd remove it right away, thinking it cooled off, warm it up, and Reg would be launching out of the tub wildly to grab it and then end up losing it again. In his case, I found out his hides were getting in the way of him eating. He likes to do a lap or two around the tub, carrying his trophy while he eats. Once I removed the hides and water dish before feeding, he stopped getting frustrated and dropping the food. Haven't had any issues since.


PS- your PM inbox is full. =p

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Originally Posted by Sallos

How long do you leave the rat in there before you remove it? I've heard others say that their pythons will ignore the food for several minutes then return to eat.

My little Reggie started doing what you describe. He would wrap up the prey, then seemingly lose interest and start searching around the top of the tub like the dead rat was invisible. I'd remove it right away, thinking it cooled off, warm it up, and Reg would be launching out of the tub wildly to grab it and then end up losing it again. In his case, I found out his hides were getting in the way of him eating. He likes to do a lap or two around the tub, carrying his trophy while he eats. Once I removed the hides and water dish before feeding, he stopped getting frustrated and dropping the food. Haven't had any issues since.

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She actually doesn't wrap it, just stretches her neck up and ignores it from the tongs completely. And no matter how I offer or stick it in her face, it's like she doesn't see it, but keeps going UP.

I've had what you describe happen most feeding days (just happened 20 minutes ago), and I just reheat and reoffer and they get it eventually too. Their hides do get in the way most of the time LOL.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

She actually doesn't wrap it, just stretches her neck up and ignores it from the tongs completely. And no matter how I offer or stick it in her face, it's like she doesn't see it, but keeps going UP.

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She smells whatever is coming from the kitchen and says forget the rat i want some of THAT.

Is it like she's trying to get out and explore? I wonder what would happen if you brought her out for some exercise before feeding? (I know it's frowned upon to do that, but if she isn't eating anyway...)

I also just fed a half hour ago and had this exact this behavior . my clown who has been a dumpster since I got him has been refusing to eat but seems he rather be out looking around , so I'm just assuming he is off feed for a while but he continues to breed my enchi and lesser girls. Just keep offering.

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Originally Posted by Sallos

She smells whatever is coming from the kitchen and says forget the rat i want some of THAT.

Is it like she's trying to get out and explore? I wonder what would happen if you brought her out for some exercise before feeding? (I know it's frowned upon to do that, but if she isn't eating anyway...)

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:P She wants some roast chicken and bread. LOL

No, I don't think it's exploring, because the whole body language looks like feeding response/she smells the food and comes out after it. But for some reason, ignores the food, as if there's better food past it. LOL. I'll just put it off as ball pythons being weird.

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Originally Posted by samm

I also just fed a half hour ago and had this exact this behavior . my clown who has been a dumpster since I got him has been refusing to eat but seems he rather be out looking around , so I'm just assuming he is off feed for a while but he continues to breed my enchi and lesser girls. Just keep offering.

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I see, being an adult, it would make more sense to do. I just wish it wasn't this 200g little thing refusing food.

that's just the signs/start of a fasting/hunger strike. :/

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

:P She wants some roast chicken and bread. LOL

No, I don't think it's exploring, because the whole body language looks like feeding response/she smells the food and comes out after it. But for some reason, ignores the food, as if there's better food past it. LOL. I'll just put it off as ball pythons being weird.

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Is she moving past it towards your hand or a different direction? I feel mine does this sometimes because the temp of my hand may be a little warmer than the rat. When he does, I move the rat into his face, but if he doesn't take, I take the rat and blow dry it some more.


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Originally Posted by BPGator

Is she moving past it towards your hand or a different direction? I feel mine does this sometimes because the temp of my hand may be a little warmer than the rat. When he does, I move the rat into his face, but if he doesn't take, I take the rat and blow dry it some more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Sometimes towards my hand, sometimes just UP and out into the sky LOL. Even if I reheat and offer over and over, she (or whoever does this) doesn't take. I guess it's just part of how they act with some hunger strikes or refusing food in general like Ax said.

I used to have this happen a lot when I fed frozen thawed, I think it's because the temps were not right. Since I switched to fresh killed this rarely happens, usually they act like they want to strike it but just don't strike (for my non-feeders). They don't really ignore it like back in the day when I did frozen thawed. Maybe it's a combo of the temp and smell that's just not right.

Had this happen, heating it up again fixed it for me.