Trouble finding prey

[Mppeasle]

So my Ball python on occasion seems to have trouble finding the rat I offer (frozen thawed holding it with tongs) he knows its there and comes out tongue flicking, but today for example he missed 3 or 4 times and he often goes in the wrong direction while reaching for it.. I do warm the rat under a heater after thawing and specifically make sure the head is heated with a blow dryer.. not sure if this info helps but when he was eating mice he almost never had this issue, and im still in the process of switching him to rats so I still scent the rat with a mouse.. anything I should be concerned about?

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[Meghenebk]

Is he a spider, or a morph that contains spider?

That is a bit weird. I've had them get excited and overshoot/miss, but not in repeated feedings or go off in the wrong direction.

How is he when handling? It's pretty easy to tell if they're watching/reacting to nearby movements. Last shed had eyecaps? Have you looked for cataracts? Sometimes they can develop them pretty young.

[Mppeasle]

Is he a spider, or a morph that contains spider?

That is a bit weird. I've had them get excited and overshoot/miss, but not in repeated feedings or go off in the wrong direction.

How is he when handling? It's pretty easy to tell if they're watching/reacting to nearby movements. Last shed had eyecaps? Have you looked for cataracts? Sometimes they can develop them pretty young.

He is a normal with no signs of neurological issues, when I get home and come in the room he always pokes his head of out the hide and seems to react to my hand by the glass and when handling he always reacts to my hand going above his head... so everything seems normal, no stuck shed, eyes are completely black from what I can tell although I havent looked real close.. only other thing I can think of is maybe reflections that hes reacting to.. I try to do the best I can at minimizing this and having low light when I feed. It doesnt happen all the time, but it has happened enough times that I notice it.

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[WhompingWillow]

Is yours a young one? A couple of mine when they were young were a bit derpy and occasionally missed while striking. Everyone grew out of it. I'll still sometimes get one that's a bit overeager and strikes prematurely.

[Mppeasle]

Is yours a young one? A couple of mine when they were young were a bit derpy and occasionally missed while striking. Everyone grew out of it. I'll still sometimes get one that's a bit overeager and strikes prematurely.

Roughly 8 months.. so thats fairly young

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[Absololol]

Is yours a young one? A couple of mine when they were young were a bit derpy and occasionally missed while striking. Everyone grew out of it. I'll still sometimes get one that's a bit overeager and strikes prematurely.

I second this with my limited experience, our baby is a few months old and was very derpy with the first few strikes, but she seems to be perfecting her aim now.

Even then, she only misses once or twice, never 5 or 6 times. Is everything else fine? No head shaking or other signs of issues? Might just be a super eager feeder.

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[Zincubus]

So my Ball python on occasion seems to have trouble finding the rat I offer (frozen thawed holding it with tongs) he knows its there and comes out tongue flicking, but today for example he missed 3 or 4 times and he often goes in the wrong direction while reaching for it.. I do warm the rat under a heater after thawing and specifically make sure the head is heated with a blow dryer.. not sure if this info helps but when he was eating mice he almost never had this issue, and im still in the process of switching him to rats so I still scent the rat with a mouse.. anything I should be concerned about?

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Some ( especially Albinos) are just bad at aiming

I sometimes wonder if they get a mixed heat signal reading when our hands are in the viv a few inches away from the mouse ..

I’ve seen reports of defective vision in Albinos ( all creatures including humans )


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