My snakes are missing strikes on dead prey . . .

And then they are scared to death. This has happened on maybe 3 of my snakes. They will give 2-4 quick strikes on a dead prey item (held either by hand or by tongs, has happened with both) and fail to grab hold of it. Then after that they just run away like they are afraid for their lives. Has this happened to anyone else? I get a better (at least faster) bite response when I do the dance, but if they fail to catch it on the first go the whole feeding time is a waste and I need to wait till they calm down.

So whats up with this? Am I just blessed with some particularly dumb snakes?

This happened to me, too, and I solved it by getting the rats just a bit warmer (I feed frozen/thawed). It's like they couldn't quite grab it or zero in on it or something. I increased the temp of the rats just slightly - problem solved! :banana:

Sounds like defensive strikes. Do what GoFride08 said. Is there any reason for the snake to be scared/stressed?

When mine miss i reheat the rat for a few min under a ceramic heater. And dont just throw the mouse/rat in there. Dangle it over the snakes head about 3 inches away. Swing it side to side slightly to give it some movement. Let the snake come to the food. Dont poke the snake in the head with it or it will shy away. It can take several minutes for the snake to strike.

Zombie dance!

I used to have that problem and I gave up offering it to my snakes. I now just set it on a paper towel so aspen doesn't get stuck in it and leave it in the tank from 12am to 9am. If it isn't eaten by the morning, well try again next week.

No garnish? My bp won't eat anything unless I put a fancy candle in there with it.
I can never use my sterling silver again. :P

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Originally Posted by mrshawt

Sounds like defensive strikes. Do what GoFride08 said. Is there any reason for the snake to be scared/stressed?

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There shouldn't be. She is kept in exactly the same condition as every other snake I own, and they have never had this problem. She used to be a great eater but shes gone off feed the last 3 weeks or so. She strikes at prey (been feeding live recently) but never constricts or makes contact. She is pretty big (probably 1400g) should and in a Sterlite 41qt, should I move her down to a 28qt or something? I have a rack with all 11 of my snakes in it, herpstat controlling the temps, good humidity (I live in Florida, no real worries there heh). I just don't get what the deal is.

She hisses at me all the time. Whenever I come home from somewhere and go in my room I'm always greeted with a hiss. I really don't know what I can do to her set up to reduce stress. Theres no weird smells or constant loud noises or anything.

My Spider is the only one who misses like that. She almost got my hand last feeding and the prey was only about an inch in front of her face.

When was her last shed?

Is she ovulating?

Are you positive she is a she?

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Originally Posted by wilomn

When was her last shed?

Is she ovulating?

Are you positive she is a she?

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Her last shed was about maybe 2 months ago? Little longer little less? I lost my records from that time, had to start a new system. I don't think shes ovulating, hasn't been with any males and she is still a little small to start breeding (1350g i think) and doesn't look like she is.

And yeah, I'm sure shes a she. I saw her popped when I first got her, bought her from a reputable guy, and have popped her myself.

After reading the title, I thought "oh this guy isn't feeding warm prey!". I've seen BPs strike multiple times at a thawed feeder and miss, and just get frustrated, because they can smell food, can see food, but their heat pits don't let them zero in on colder prey so they miss.

But it sounds like you take good care of your snakes and the rest of them eat well, so I don't really know what to tell you..

I mean, it's summer and she's not in blue, she's kept in adequate conditions that are the same as other snakes you have.

If you don't have any, you MIGHT try putting a hide in the tub. I know some people don't use hides in tubs, but your snake might enjoy something a little "tighter".

Other than that, good luck with her.

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

After reading the title, I thought "oh this guy isn't feeding warm prey!". I've seen BPs strike multiple times at a thawed feeder and miss, and just get frustrated, because they can smell food, can see food, but their heat pits don't let them zero in on colder prey so they miss.

But it sounds like you take good care of your snakes and the rest of them eat well, so I don't really know what to tell you..

I mean, it's summer and she's not in blue, she's kept in adequate conditions that are the same as other snakes you have.

If you don't have any, you MIGHT try putting a hide in the tub. I know some people don't use hides in tubs, but your snake might enjoy something a little "tighter".

Other than that, good luck with her.

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Oh she has a hide, she spends most of her time on top of it or around the side. My other female I got at the same time in an identital set up actually goes in hers. Maybe a smaller hide? I dunno though, since she is in newspaper and can always burrow under that if she wants.


I'll just give her a week or two rest and try again I guess.

I am also having this problem. I am new to being a snake owner, I've only had my banana for a week now. He will strike but not make contact, once he did make contact but didn't hold. Seemed like a defensive strike but I've always been told that ball pythons normally don't strike out of defense so that worries me.
Maybe he's just getting used to his new home, idk.

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Originally Posted by MGraves

I am also having this problem. I am new to being a snake owner, I've only had my banana for a week now. He will strike but not make contact, once he did make contact but didn't hold. Seemed like a defensive strike but I've always been told that ball pythons normally don't strike out of defense so that worries me.
Maybe he's just getting used to his new home, idk.

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Instead of replying to a post from 2009, this should go into a new thread. Assuming your husbandry is on point, I'd heat up the feeder again and offer it again a little later.

"Kicks the thread back in its grave and starts shoveling dirt on it" :tombstone