Pairing ball pythons who thinks everything is food

[Snakes n eggs]

Hey! I have a female BP who is a absolute ret pounder. She has a feeding response (coiled and following movement) whenever somebody opens her tub or even walks in a room. I am planning on pairing her this season but I don’t want to put my male at risk. Any ideas on how to introduce him safely? And what do I do if she does think he’s food?

Thanks!

[Bogertophis]

I've never bred BPs before but I have successfully bred king snakes & other kinds. King snakes tend to look at everything as edible too, & what I did first was a "cage swap", putting each one (separately) into the other's tank to get used to the scent of the other snake. It worked great, & also helped me gauge their interest in mating. I never had to pry them apart (trying to eat each other), all they did was promptly mate. I don't see why this wouldn't work & help with BPs too? But you always have to be ready to intervene, just in case.

[nikkubus]

Hook train her. Gently touch her head with a hook when you are not feeding her each time you open the enclosure. Eventually she will understand that hook = no food. Then tap her just before you introduce the male to break her feeding response before putting him in.

[Alicia]

The above. Another thing I've done with a serious foodie has been to place the female in the clean shift or even just on the floor for a moment, put the male into her cage, then add her back in. Being moved usually snaps them out of eating mode, and the male has a chance to start getting interested in the smells.