Need Help, recently very aggressive feeder

[tinabean]

Hello! I’m new here and having quite an issue with my female ball python. She’s almost three years old and around 4ft, I’m not sure how much she weighs right now. I handle her regularly and she has not ever bitten or hissed at me before.

I guess to start off, she stopped eating for about 6 months in November. She gets live medium rats once a week once she started eating again in May. The past three weeks she has become increasingly aggressive at feeding time. As soon as I walk in with the rat she’s out in her strike position and ready for it. At first I was excited because she’s eager to eat. This last feeding though was difficult.

Yesterday I walked in with the rat and she immediately started striking the tank and her heat lamp and then striking at me while I was trying to get the tank open. It took awhile to get the rat in there but I eventually did and she ate it.

Today I got home and walked in the room to check on her and she immediately came out and struck at the tank again. She stayed in her strike position for about 30min following me around the room and she has yet to return into her hide and it’s been a couple hours since I’ve gotten home. I’m assuming she is still hungry. Should I feed her again tomorrow? Is there a reason why she has become so aggressive after 3 years of being very chill? Is there anything I can do to help with the aggression or keep her from striking her tank?

[Ranulf]

What do the medium rats that you feed her weigh?

Have you recently changed rat suppliers?

Are you picking our larger mediums or smaller ones?

Snakes can be in "hunting mode" for 24-48 hours after they feed, even if they have had enough food.

[tinabean]

The rats are normally around 130g. I try to pick out the bigger ones for her. I did recently move and got a new rat supplier around 6 weeks ago.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Having an agressive feeder is what everyone wants, it's far from being an issue trust me.

Increase feeding to every 5 days, do not offer daily ( they need time to digest)

If I had to guess this feeding frenzy is driven by the need to breed which will happen whether you want it or not.

Again, not an issue, and remember if you increase feeding it should be short term and within reasons.

[tinabean]

Sweet! Thank you! I will try feeding her every 5 days. Should I be worried about her striking and hitting her tank walls?

[Bogertophis]

And I'll just add that when snakes are fed live rats, they are doing battle, seriously! And if your snake isn't up to the task (ie. "bite first & ask questions later")
she is going to get hurt or worse, so don't be surprised if your pet isn't so mellow any more...many snakes don't "change gears" all that well.

[tinabean]

Should I try switching to pre kill?

[Ranulf]

Honestly, pre-kill and especially frozen-thaw is a cheaper and more convenient way to feed. The only real pro of live feeding is watching the beauty of nature in action.

Basic guide to switching:
1) Hold live rat on tongs for a few feeds
2) If that goes over well, kill the rat immediately before feeding and hold on tongs.
3) if the snake seems to be doing well on prekilled off the tongs, start offering frozen thawed off the tongs.

This is what several people I know do when they get a snake they need to switch over and it works for them.

Hope it works for you too, if you decide to go that route.

[Bogertophis]

Should I try switching to pre kill?

My crystal ball is out for repairs right now, but I will say that it's far safer for your snake (sooner or later, your snake WILL get injured by one or more live rats, & such
injuries can be minor or serious requiring vet care & can even result in life-threatening infections), it's more humane (rats are actually quite intelligent & affectionate...
I kept pet rats long before I got into snakes), and it's more "convenient" in the sense that you can keep a supply of the correct size food on hand in your freezer.

But, if you meander around this site, you'll find plenty of threads by those having trouble with getting their BPs to eat: why? BP's use their heat-sensing pits to sense
the presence of prey, so you not only have to thaw the frozen rat, you need to warm it so it's "lifelike" & registers as prey to your snake. That means proper thawing &
then many here find their best success by warming the rat's head using a blow-dryer & feeding quickly, before it cools off.

Yours is so enthusiastic about eating that it might be an EASY transition, but there's no guarantee. I want to say "yes!" (switch to pre-killed) but you'll be living with the
decision, & it will be a learning experience for you as much as for your snake. BPs can be very fussy eaters...the snakes I personally keep couldn't care less if their rodents are lifelike-warm, but they're not BPs. (I've kept BPs in the past.)