Funny feeding story, has this happened to anybody else?

So I go to feed my little 131g ball python tonight, and it was my first time feeding her a rat over 15g. When I opened her cage I found her exploring, not even close to her hides. She seemed somewhat interested in the rat, but no strike. I leave the rat in the corner. I come back about 20 minutes later. The rat is still there, but she is in the hide on the opposite side of the tank with her head poking out. As if to say “okay, I’m ready to eat now!” I warm the rat back up and dangle it in front of her, immediate strike.

I find it hilarious even though she practically lunges herself completely out of her hide to strangulate the rat, she prefers the safety of the hide while striking. She’s such a timid and finicky little thing.

Does anybody else have any funny feeding stories??

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Originally Posted by Shadowy

Does anybody else have any funny feeding stories??

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So last night I was trying to feed my juvenile non-eating ball python (the last one out of my hatchlings that refuses to eat). So as usual he backs away from the mouse and hides in a ball in the corner and peers warily through his coils as the mouse inanely scurries about pooping everywhere and making a mess...So I figure I have to assist feed yet again. I grab the mouse and snap its neck (humanely mind you-I'm Lab trained: death=instantaneous) and I'm about to assist feed...and then I'm like...maybe I'll just toss the mouse in and see what happens. A minute later he moves over to the still twitching mouse and immediately coils and starts eating---wtf...:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Shadowy

So I go to feed my little 131g ball python tonight, and it was my first time feeding her a rat over 15g. When I opened her cage I found her exploring, not even close to her hides. She seemed somewhat interested in the rat, but no strike. I leave the rat in the corner. I come back about 20 minutes later. The rat is still there, but she is in the hide on the opposite side of the tank with her head poking out. As if to say “okay, I’m ready to eat now!” I warm the rat back up and dangle it in front of her, immediate strike.

I find it hilarious even though she practically lunges herself completely out of her hide to strangulate the rat, she prefers the safety of the hide while striking. She’s such a timid and finicky little thing.

Does anybody else have any funny feeding stories??

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My Royals will only strike from within their hides ... low light and warm mice /rats


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They are such finicky creatures I often wonder how they survive in the wild! Yours probably just feels vulnerable still because it's a baby and may get braver with age. When a snake has its mouth full of rat it can't defend itself and might prefer to feed only when safe.

My BP Spot often struggles with trying to eat rats sideways. Silly Spot!

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Originally Posted by FollowTheSun

They are such finicky creatures I often wonder how they survive in the wild! Yours probably just feels vulnerable still because it's a baby and may get braver with age. When a snake has its mouth full of rat it can't defend itself and might prefer to feed only when safe.

My BP Spot often struggles with trying to eat rats sideways. Silly Spot!

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That’s a very good point about them surviving in the wild !!


I often think the same thing when I see one of my Corn / King snakes in a feeding frenzy sliding past and sometimes OVER the flamin mouse !!


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Shiva struck her prekilled rat last week. Constricted and not eat it but looked up for another for almost half an hour. I eventually pushed her off of it with a hook and heated with the hair dryer and she grabbed it and eat it quickly.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has wondered how snakes survive in the wild...:rolleyes: especially with no place to plug in their hairdryers? :rofl:

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Originally Posted by FollowTheSun

They are such finicky creatures I often wonder how they survive in the wild! Yours probably just feels vulnerable still because it's a baby and may get braver with age. When a snake has its mouth full of rat it can't defend itself and might prefer to feed only when safe.

My BP Spot often struggles with trying to eat rats sideways. Silly Spot!

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That's why they don't eat as much in the wild. The opportunities show itself, but they probably miss half of them.

Glad to hear Scylla is eating now!

I recently started feeding mine inside his hide (used to remove it before offering since that was how I first got him to take food when I got him) and he'll also fly out of the cave to grab the food, then slowly drag it back into his lair to eat lol.

My BP seems to think the F/T mice he is given might come back to life at any moment. I've seen him start positioning the mouse to eat, only for it to shift slightly causing him to believe it's moving on its own accord so he'll start constricting it again :rolleyes:

He also sometimes grabs the body of the mouse and has to let go of it to get to the head. The last time he did that it was funny to see because he released it, then very quickly grabbed it again as if he was afraid it would dash away the moment he let go.

That doesn't surprise me as they prefer to ambush their prey. I don't know about all of them only wanting to do an ambush but probably most. My boy on the other hand will take prey any way shape or form.... he would even do it balancing on his nose. Lol

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Originally Posted by Jellybeans

That doesn't surprise me as they prefer to ambush their prey. I don't know about all of them only wanting to do an ambush but probably most. My boy on the other hand will take prey any way shape or form.... he would even do it balancing on his nose. Lol

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I don't know about everyone else, but I'm waiting for your video. :D

Yours is still young though, right? That's typical for the young ones, wait until he grows up. ;)

I like when they meet you coming out of their tank, that’s my favorite! Lmao

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Originally Posted by Sonny1318

I like when they meet you coming out of their tank, that’s my favorite! Lmao

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Yeah, I have to be quick when I feed my big Florida (yellow-x) rat snakes. They're usually already up on their branches and they have a long reach, so there's no
slipping up on my part. ;) So far I've avoided any feeding bites from them, but they hurl themselves at their food (offered from tongs) so much they fall off their
branches thrashing around with it. They still haven't figured out it's always dead...:rolleyes: and one time Tapanga (one of the females) landed in her water bowl with her
prize! She sorta looked around like "what?" :rofl:

How polite of her to give you a strong hint as to how she wants to be fed!

Fed Horatio Friday, which was quite, erm, the experience. Thawed rat, warmed rat, offered rat, he struck and constricted, and everything was going well... Until he went completely blonde and tried to eat it sideways, which he has never, ever done before.

After several minutes, he became quite frustrated. I did not know snakes threw temper tantrums, but he lashed the rat around, and ultimately threw it in his water dish and sulked over it!

After several nibbles and angry wheezess, he did eventually locate the head (10 minutes later) and dinner could proceed as normal. He seemed to decide he'd expended a lot of effort fighting with it, and proceeded to enjoy his dinner in repose.

When people say ball pythons are the toddlers of tge snake world, they're not wrong! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2a41e978c2.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cbbd92e252.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8b111b9da3.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1fe19ba1a5.jpg

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Pax is usually a VERY fast strike once the rat is in her enclosure, but last week or the week before, this dumb weaned rat goes up and boops her on the nose. She looks at him for a good 5-10 seconds like "Seriously?!?" and then strikes/coils.

it happens now and then and i always find it funny when they eat butt first.


Edit: and here's a re-post of my 2nd BP ever on the hunt when i was such a noob and fed outside the enclosure:

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Originally Posted by Ax01

***picture heavy post***

it’s been awhile since i posted my baby boy mojave bp Fiyero. he’s doing great, well above 200grams now. he’s shy and leaves his warm hide only a few times a week that i’ve noticed. he’s also a finicky eater, sometimes accepting f/t, sometimes turning the other way, zero interest. i feed him first and if he refuses f/t, Elphaba happily gets his reject f/t meal and Fiyero gets live the next day.

he currently lives in a tank with a lot of clutter. i feed him in tub b/c there’s just too many hides, plants, etc. for a mouse to get into that would prolong his feeding/hunt. anyway last night, he ambushed his live prey in tub. i thought it was really cool and i had my phone/camera handy. check out his sneaky feed.

imma hide... ...and be all sneaky. ;)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/ipZm5HXl.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/RJPq5Tol.jpg


lay and wait...
http://i.imgur.com/ucipFFrl.jpg?1


...waiting.
http://i.imgur.com/kRU3Dvgl.jpg?1


bam!
http://i.imgur.com/9KYhDm4l.jpg?1


all wrapped up.
http://i.imgur.com/9eq9Dmal.jpg?1


stop taking pix, can't u see that i'm eating :mad::rolleyes:... yum! :D
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/Q6sdYWil.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/Fq6ZF8Tl.jpg


yawn. (he’s turned the other way, but he's actually re-adjusting his jaw)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/jcXap9gl.jpg


imma hide again. Shy... ...buh-bye :P
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/SgacP38l.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/eJ9uFh8l.jpg


ok, nevermind. put me back in my cage. ;):)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m/3ekS5SKl.jpg

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I was feeding all the of my snakes and went to feed my female Medusa. She took it within a couple of seconds and I went to go get Kronos’ rat. (I left the tub open a little so I could make sure she ate it) when I came back Medusa was slithering out of her cage and when she saw Kronos’ rat she got back into strike mode. She hadn’t even eaten her first one! Fatty.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pengil

...everything was going well... Until he went completely blonde and tried to eat it sideways, which he has never, ever done before...

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OK OK...I'm blonde & I'll have you know that I've NEVER EVER eaten sideways! :rofl:
Funny story though...a beep tantrum! Who knew? LOL

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ax01

it happens now and then and i always find it funny when they eat butt first.


Edit: and here's a re-post of my 2nd BP ever on the hunt when i was such a noob and fed outside the enclosure:

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I love how you chronicled this, it's like a suspenseful story haha :D
It's pretty cute how your BP used the paper towel for cover as he hunted

When I first got him, I started feeding my little guy in a tub (i've heard to pros and cons of each way to feed, and this is what worked, so I stuck with it). After having fed this way for about 8 months, one day he just wouldn't strike at the rat. So I left it in his cage outside his hot hide, and in the morning it was gone. Same thing for the next few feedings. It's like one day he just wanted me to know that he would rather be fed in his cage. So now that's what we do, and he gets to eat every time in the privacy of his home. He even drags it into his hide most of the time.

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm waiting for your video. :D

Yours is still young though, right? That's typical for the young ones, wait until he grows up. ;)

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My boys probably right at 6 months old right now so yeah he still young.. I have a feeling he'll always be a pretty good eater he may go through the brief periods of not eating because he wants a girlfriend. But I got news for him, he's going to be celibate so he needs to be prepared to get over that :colbert:

I have a normal ball python, Charlie. He’s about a year old. After thawing his mouse, I always put it in the tongs so he can catch the head first.
Two weeks in a row he manages to catch the side of the mouse! Finally realizing he can’t possibly swallow it, he lets it go. I put it back in the tongs and the second time he manages to get it right. But he was insistent on eating it sideways! Silly boy!

My Astrid is an 8 month old normal and has never refused any kind of meal, rat, mouse, ect she doesn't care. She has never been picky about temp. She will eat literally anywhere in her enclosure, but she does sometimes try to eat them sideways. She eventually gets them turned around, or I end up helping her.

Lol once my little girl thought it would be the best approach to start at the neck. She did manage to get it down from her starting point, but she really struggled the whole time. I think it took her half an hour to get it down? She typically takes like 10 minutes lol.

If any snake will turn us into "helicopter snarents", ball pythons will. It's SO hard to watch a snake struggle to eat the wrong way & not try to help. :rolleyes:

Especially when you've let them do it by themselves in the past & they end up giving up & not eating it. My rosy boa is a slow eater but she gets it right; on the
other hand, my Aussie Spotted python gets so wound up over food that it can take her a while to untangle herself...she usually launches from a branch. ;) And
there's no way to help as she comes after anything moving- like me, LOL! So tiny & so feisty! Even tries to bite whatever's moving nearby through the glass...but
she always handles well with no bites, it's just food that makes her :rolleye2: