Feeding new blood

Hey guys, new to the forum. I brought my blood home on Sunday and was told he was feeding every Wednesday w/ live rats. I attempted to feed him last night but he would only hammer the rat with his closed mouth, never an open strike and has now buried himself in the substrate. None of these behaviors are really concerning to me at this point because I am sure he is just not ready to eat and wants to be left alone. But I am curious to know if any of you have had the same issue when transferring a snake to the new home, and how long it took before they would eat.

I do plan on trying to to switch to f/t once feeding is established. Malakai is about 6 months (allegedly) and weighs 497 grams.

Welcome to the forum! Congrats on your new blood as well. Is this your first snake?

Interesting. My Borneo boy is a bit of a pain in the rear as far as eating goes. But he never refuses live and is always a beast when live is offered....F/T is a different story.

But I've never seen that closed mouth behavior before in any of my snakes.

Thanks for adding an interesting thread. I'll be looking forward to more replies.

I am new to owning snakes. We ( my sons and myself) also have a very young ball, that only weighs 78 grams. I am aware of the challenges with the bloods and I am certainly willing to put in the time and effort to make him comfortable with us. He is fairly thick already and I will monitor his weight until regular feeding is established. I appreciate the response.

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Originally Posted by Cforlizzo

I am new to owning snakes. We ( my sons and myself) also have a very young ball, that only weighs 78 grams. I am aware of the challenges with the bloods and I am certainly willing to put in the time and effort to make him comfortable with us. He is fairly thick already and I will monitor his weight until regular feeding is established. I appreciate the response.

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Sounds great!!! Bloods/Short Tails are awesome animals. I'm sure you'll enjoy him.

Well I got him to eat a mouse. I think I was giving him to large a rat last time. Glad hexate because he seems to be getting ready to shed.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...4c91794234.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...849dc0200c.jpg

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He's beautiful! And that was going to be my guess, that he's going into shed. It's very hard to tell when you're new at keeping snakes, but gets easier with
practice; our snakes, however, know long before we do & often they'll refuse food when they sense a shed coming. Of course, prey that's too big can also get
a refusal, & live food is dangerous, especially rats, and especially IF your snake isn't in the mood to eat. Don't worry about your snake not eating throughout a
shed cycle...it's completely normal & they won't starve. ;)

He's beautiful!!

He’s a beauty, great color. :)

He is a beautiful one :gj:

Stop it at once, I don't need a blood python lol

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Originally Posted by Justin83

Stop it at once, I don't need a blood python lol

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I know how you feel. I keep seeing ones that I want. Lol

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Pretty snake. Keep us updated!

Don't worry if your blood occasionally refuses a meal. In fact, the way bloods are fed in captivity is vastly different from the way they feed in the wild. You can just tell by looking at an adult's body size and shape that this species doesn't "chase down' their prey. They are highly ambush predators, just waiting for something to come their way, instead of actively seeking out their food. Some adults have been known to only feed once or twice a year. Juveniles do need more often feedings, but don't need a full belly all the time, and in fact it is detrimental to their health to do so. Overfeeding a juvenile can result in an obese snake, heart problems, and a shortened lifespan. Yours seems to be doing quite well and is a good size. He's a great looking blood and actually appears to be the spitting image of mine.

Malakai is eating like a champ and has gained 500g and some length. He has a fantastic disposition. He has not been aggressive to anyone at any time. My 8 year old loves holding him. I will take some quality photos after next shed.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e8b9d9a97b.jpg

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that's awesome! I love hearing a happy follow up! Glad he's doing so well for you.

Awesome for sure!

I love Bloods! Always have fed F/T, or some had just been euthanized, never live. But they are great captives, in my experience, once acclimated. Thanks for sharing the pic, beautiful young snake![emoji106]

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:taz:I Hope Mine Will Look Like That When She Is Bigger LOL!!!