Ball python Snake lets go of food, opens mouth, feeding problems

[BrokenPictureFrames]

My snake is a male spider ball python roughly around 1-2 months old. He's pretty small and hasn't ate in over a week and a half because of feeding issues. He's been hungry and has been fed f/t his whole life (which isn't a long time but still). The first time I tried feeding him he had bit me on accident. After that I tried to get him to eat but he wouldn't so I figured maybe he might have my blood on him leaving a scent. He did so I washed him. He didn't eat that day so the next day I tried and then figured he wasn't going to eat for a few days or so. So I tried later on and he bit the fuzzy and I was extremely happy, and was going to get another fuzzy to thaw and feed him but when I came back. The mouse was just sitting there in the cage. He occasionally went over to the mouse and watched it but didn't eat it. I would get the tongs and dangle the mouse and make him seem alive. I thought maybe he would need help so I tried assist feeding him (repeat assist feeding, not force feeding). I just tried feeding him and he striked at the fuzzie and bit it. However he seemed to weaken his constriction and didn't even try to tighten his grip and he pull his body in the air like usual then he just dropped it. When I tangled the mouse in front of him afterwards he opened and closed his mouth three times. I checked to see if he had any redness and he had a little on his roof but I think it could of been maybe from the fuzzy? He also had bubbles in his throat.

[T_Sauer]

If a feeding goes wrong you should not try and re feed for an absolute minimum of 3 days, reason being stress, when a snake gets stressed 9 times out of 10 it will not eat until it is givin time to relax. The situation you discribed (biting you, I am also concerned as to how he accidentally bit you if you are using tongs to feed him, some more in depth detail of exactly how you feeding session goes will allow us to give you advice) for sure stressed your snake, especially when you then took your already stressed snake and washed the blood from him only stressed him 100 times more. (he is very young) .... Then the very next day offering food again he has now become 200 times more stressed. .... When he "bit" the fuzzy several days after that, did he wrap it as if he was trying to constrict it? If not then he was not convinced that it was alive and it could have very well been a defensive strike and not a feeding response. Now you say "assist feed" ... This should be done only as a very last resort if your snake has not eaten a an extended period of time and it's health is at jeopardy. After that ordeal your snake is now 1000 times stressed ..... He needs to be put in his enclosure and left be not handled, not fed, not startled for 7 full days to allow him time to calm down and regroup. This is common standard procedure for when you first get a new snake and it arrives at your house, and after reading your post I get the feeling this never happened for him. I am not trying to belittle you or anything of the sort. However I strongly suggest you fill his water bowl to the top, check his temps, and then forget about him for a week ... Literally. During that week you need to do as much research as you can on ball pythons. It's not the end of the world and everybody has to start somewhere. Just do your research during that week while he calms down and ask as many questions as you need on this site to familiarize yourself with the care of ball pythons. It'll be ok

[BrokenPictureFrames]

Thank you so much. I thought he was stuck on this one part of the feeding cage and I wasn't exactly sure so I moved him. He had gotten his space before and he was fed before by me so I was just way more nervous this time when he didn't. Thank you for everything you said and I'll start right on it. I just hope he eats next week or the week after that.

[Kaorte]

Step 1. Relax.
Step 2. Leave your snake alone.

You are offering too often. Wait a full week and try feeding him in his home enclosure. I don't know the size of your snake, and I don't know the size of the 'fuzzy' you are feeding, but you might want to consider feeding something larger. The larger the meal, the longer the snake can go in between meals and the less you have to offer him food.

He was opening and closing his mouth to realign his jaw. Totally normal.

Don't assist feed. Totally unnecessary at this point and will just stress the snake out even more than it already is.

Even if your snake does not eat next week, don't worry. He has not forgotten how to eat and he will eat when he is ready.

Best of luck. Let us know if you have any other questions.

[BrokenPictureFrames]

He's pretty small and last time he ate two fuzzies (baby mice). Thank you so much though. I just worry because he seems hungry but just won't eat so I thought he could be sick. He had mites when I first got him but we got rid of them all and I heard how mites could transmit diseases.. I am realizing how much I must have stressed him out and I'm going to leave him alone now. He was pretty stress free before (or seemed to be) till he bit me.

[Kaorte]

Next time try feeding him one mouse that is about the same size as those two fuzzies would be put together.

Sometimes the "seeming hungry" can actually be "I'm freaked out". They look kinda similar.

[Redlude92]

As stated above, leave him alone for a full 7 days.. When the 7 days are up put an adequate sized mice or rat (what ever he usually eats) in his enclosure. I like many others suggest you don't use a separate feeding enclosure, as handling him before feeding will stress him out. If it is a pre killed prey I would drop and leave. Leave the room and check back on him later. If it's a live, I would drop and hide.. Hide somewhere where you can see him but he can't see you.. If he eats hurray!! If not get the feeder out, discard, try again in 7 days.. Don't handle him until 24-48hrs after he eats. Then once he eats I'd handle everyday for 5-10 minutes until his next feeding day.. That is what I do with my new snakes and it works for me.. I had one go 8 months without eating and one day out of nowhere I guess she stopped being shy and stubborn and ate it right out of my hands..