Striking but not eating

[Craiga 01453]

I'd normally say leave for 5 to 7 days but if he's such a good striker it maybe worth trying again tonight .
Just has to be WARM . I have a hairdryer in the snake room. As long as he shows interest or tongue flicks then offer warm , especially if he's in his hide .
Just keep warming and offering till successful .
If there is not even a tongue flick then best leave it for a while . Remember low lighting .

I've even used a torch in the past but don't shine it near the snake of course

Can I assume by "torch" you mean flashlight? I recently learned by watching "Snake City" that a torch can be a flashlight!!! I always knew a torch as a blow torch which shoots fire out of it. Definitely wouldn't use a blow torch in any application when it comes to feeding my snakes. Hahahahaha!!!!

[JodanOrNoDan]

Can I assume by "torch" you mean flashlight? I recently learned by watching "Snake City" that a torch can be a flashlight!!! I always knew a torch as a blow torch which shoots fire out of it. Definitely wouldn't use a blow torch in any application when it comes to feeding my snakes. Hahahahaha!!!!

LOL. Yeah, across the pond they call a flashlight a torch. With some of the questions we get on here can you imagine what could happen if you told someone to candle eggs with a torch or an actual candle for that matter? ROFL

[Craiga 01453]

LOL. Yeah, across the pond they call a flashlight a torch. With some of the questions we get on here can you imagine what could happen if you told someone to candle eggs with a torch or an actual candle for that matter? ROFL

Hahaha, I know it!!! I never knew that a torch was a flashlight til I saw that show. Hahahhahaha. I'm waiting for Zinc to reply, I'm hoping he got a chuckle out of it too!

[Dillonfail]

Hahaha, I know it!!! I never knew that a torch was a flashlight til I saw that show. Hahahhahaha. I'm waiting for Zinc to reply, I'm hoping he got a chuckle out of it too!

I tried to feed last night I got a tongue flick so I would wiggle it around for about 10 minutes, and never struck, so I tried leaving it in all night and he didn't bite it at all I warmed it up with a hair dryer and warm water. I am gonna try and feed it a live mouse Monday and hope he takes it. I have touched him or have been around him.

[OldState81]

I do have a ball python that is roughly the age of yours and she does the same thing but ill let the rat go and come back some time later and she will have eaten it. In fact, a couple of my ball pythons do that. Just strike it then ill leave lay and they eat it. I've only had them about 2 months now and I think their eating habits have something to do with how they were fed by the breeder I got them from. You have 500 snakes you dont have time or energy to stand and dangle a rat in front of each snake trying to entice it so i guess its take it or leave it lol.

[Zincubus]

I tried to feed last night I got a tongue flick so I would wiggle it around for about 10 minutes, and never struck, so I tried leaving it in all night and he didn't bite it at all I warmed it up with a hair dryer and warm water. I am gonna try and feed it a live mouse Monday and hope he takes it. I have touched him or have been around him.

That's such a shame .
Did you try in the evening , low light levels ?
The idea is to warm it up with a hairdryer ( next to the viv ) then offer immediately whilst it's WARM , if it doesn't strike , follow the same procedure , hairdryer for 20 seconds and offer immediately . If there is even a tongue flicker you keep rewarming and offering .
Sadly , theres no real point dangling for 10 minutes as it's gone COLD , you're just stressing the snake and getting your self all worked up and frustrated ...

[rufretic]

I agree, 10 minutes is a long time lol. If mine don't take it in a minute, they're done. They learn quick, if they are hungry take it fast! I never had one take it with a strike and then not eat it, some just take longer than others. Next time you get it to take the rat, just leave it alone and the rat will probably be gone when you come back to check later. I don't leave them over night though, don't want to wake up to a stinky rat. Just try feeding about an hour or two before you go to bed, if the rat gets taken, just check to make sure it's been eaten before you go to bed.

On a side note, when the snake struck the first time you tried, did it coil it? If not that's probably your problem, it may of been striking just to be defensive but not to eat. I have a couple scaredy cats that never strike unless its because they are scared and trying to agitate them to strike will only scare them more. Those ones like to just have a warm rat laid in the tub and left, I check back and the rats usually gone. Then others need to strike and coil the rat before they will eat it. I have good eaters of both types of feeding that almost never deny food and then I have a few that will only eat when they feel like it. Best not to pester them too much, just try again in a couple days. Luckily I've learned my picky eaters so I only defrost a few rats at a time and no rats ever get wasted, if they don't take it in a minute I just give it to a good eater and try the picky eaters a few days later. Every few days there is always someone ready to eat. If you only have one snake, best to only try once a week so your not wasting a bunch of rats. The next time you try, it might be worth trying once just laying the rat in there without disturbing the snake to see if it comes out and finds it on it's own.

Good luck