Snake has not eaten in over a week, when to re-feed?

[EvesFriend]

I went to feed my BP Saturday, one week to the day since she ate previously, snapped at the mouse a few times but did not catch/constrict it. I tried feeding two different mice on two different days and while she def. showed interest, the mouse got away. I do not know if she was attacking defensively with no intention to actually eat it or not. When should In try and re feed?

[stevepoppers]

If they don't eat on feeding day, wait until the next. If you offer too much, they may get stressed and eat even less.

A point of concern is why she was striking and not eating. Maybe someone else can help you identify what sort of strike it was. Was she completely missing or striking and letting go? Was it live?

[EvesFriend]

If they don't eat on feeding day, wait until the next. If you offer too much, they may get stressed and eat even less.

A point of concern is why she was striking and not eating. Maybe someone else can help you identify what sort of strike it was. Was she completely missing or striking and letting go? Was it live?

It was live. I will mention that I was dangling the mouse and when she would strike she would hit it but it'd get away. When it would escape and I'd pick it up and try again I noticed all this moverment stressed her out and she would strike with less force and recoil more. At first she would seem interested until she didn't get the thing, then she just seemed stressed with all the movement.


I really do think my 20 gallon long is a little crowded. To me it seems like unless I remove some of the housing in the cage she doesn't have enough room to really spread out or attack and constrict. It is great normally but I think it is a little too crowded for feeding.

[stevepoppers]

I would just put the mouse in and let her get it herself. I just think that maybe the hanging, wiggling mouse, which you then have to drop might be freaking her out.

The first time I fed mine she snatched the mouse from inside her hide, constricted it, and at it in there. Granted the hide was a little big for her, but they need much less space than you'd think. Actually, here's the video. Skip to end.

YouTube - ball python eating

[sorakitty]

Sometimes the snakes don't have a good enough grip on their prey to coil after. I've noticed this with my girl, especially when she was in shed. I personally don't feed her in her tank, I take her out, and even though some say it can stress out the snake, my girl has always had a great feeding response! I can hear she strike the moment I place the top of the separate box. There was one or two times when I could hear her thump against the side of the box, then 30 seconds later, I can her grab and coil the rat. I personally wouldn't be worried about the strike and miss. Next time just drop the prey item in. Don't dangle it or anything, and if she misses, don't re-pick it up, just give her time, and keep a eye out to make sure the prey doesn't harm your snake (I just recently ran into that problem). I wouldn't be worried about your tank being to crowded. I feed my girl in a box that is just the right size. This is just my own two cents being thrown out there. By no means am I an expert. I only own one ball python and I've had her for 3 months. This is just my own advice based on my own experience and from reading other's post's that where given for advice.

[Jeremy78]

Sometimes the snakes don't have a good enough grip on their prey to coil after. I've noticed this with my girl, especially when she was in shed. I personally don't feed her in her tank, I take her out, and even though some say it can stress out the snake, my girl has always had a great feeding response! I can hear she strike the moment I place the top of the separate box. There was one or two times when I could hear her thump against the side of the box, then 30 seconds later, I can her grab and coil the rat. I personally wouldn't be worried about the strike and miss. Next time just drop the prey item in. Don't dangle it or anything, and if she misses, don't re-pick it up, just give her time, and keep a eye out to make sure the prey doesn't harm your snake (I just recently ran into that problem). I wouldn't be worried about your tank being to crowded. I feed my girl in a box that is just the right size. This is just my own two cents being thrown out there. By no means am I an expert. I only own one ball python and I've had her for 3 months. This is just my own advice based on my own experience and from reading other's post's that where given for advice.

I wouldn't do this.

#1 when feeding live prey, watch at ALL times. You should witness the strike and death.
#2 there's no need to remove the snake for feeding.

Wait until the next schedualed feeding day to try again. And as other posters have said there is no need to dangle. Pop the prey item on the oppiste side that your snake is on. Keep an eye out and as soon as your snake catches a wiff of that delicious little morsel shell be all over it.

One week is nothing for a bp to not eat. Don't worry.

[stevepoppers]

I hate to gang up on you, but I had the same thoughts. How can you keep an eye out if you cover the snake and prey with a lid? What if you get a vicious rat that goes right for the eyes or something? There is just NO REASON to move the snake to feed, and putting it and it's live food in a box with a lid so you can't see them is just asking for trouble.

[sorakitty]

I've heard that some snakes can be shy when eating and striking. My snake doesn't give her prey time to harm her. And I always check in on her! I know the reason she got hurt this time was most likely due to the way she gripped the prey, and I had no idea because of the way she was coiled around it. And why do I keep getting bashed for mentioning I feed in a separate container? It's just my own personally preference, and if it stressed my snake out then I would stop, but she doesn't care. She was feed in a different container before I got her, and so I kept up on what they did. I know a friend who had a ball python, they always fed in a different container, they went away, one of their friends fed their snake in the tank, and he ended up developing cage aggression. They never had any problems until after that. So sorry for developing my own views, and making my own decision about this due to what I've been told and heard about.

[Kaorte]

You don't need to watch them like a hawk. Checking up on them every few minutes is fine. The majority of feeding related injuries are sustained when the snake is left alone with the mouse for long periods of time with no interest in eating. This is when the prey item will start to attack the snake. A small bite or a scratch is not that big of a deal and will heal with a shed or two.


OP: from the way you are describing it, it sounds like a defensive strike. A strike and an immediate recoil makes me think that. I would also suggest just dropping the mouse in and letting your snake do its thing.

[stevepoppers]

No bashing intended. There was a fairly recent poll thread asking who fed where and how many of their snakes had cage aggression. The number of cage-fed aggressive ball pythons was very low, especially in comparison to all the cage-fed non-aggressive ball pythons mentioned. If you can't see the snake and it's food, you don't know what's going on inside that box, and bad things can happen. And why would any animal develop a human-food association when you keep the two completely separate, rather than when you associate them for it?

I'm sorry you feel bashed, but it is a completely unnecessary practice which has no real foundation. No, it doesn't need pointed out to you every time you mention it, but there are so many people around, we can't all keep track of who we've pointed it out to.

Not the friendliest post, I know, but I'm sorry, ok?