Snake striking but missing/not holding on!

[lillywhite]

Hi guys,

So my new BP that i got last week is acting a bit strange when I try to feed him. He's striking fine but half the time he misses the fluff entirely and when he does make contact with it he doesn't hold on to constrict it, he just lets go and goes back to striking position.

Is it time to try assist feeding or should I want for a while? He's probably only 115g and the fluff is maybe 10g so i'm not worried that it's too big for him.

only feeding f/t btw

Any advice would be great thanks!

[CptJack]

Honestly, it sounds like the snake is defensive striking rather than striking to feed.

And if he's eaten before on his own, he doesn't need to be assist fed. Especially not for missing ONE MEAL. Check your husbandry, give it another week (as in leave him ALONE), change some things up if he refuses again (make the prey warmer, a little bigger (not smaller), try prescenting, clean his enclosure, think about trying live, etc). Monitor his weight and think about stronger measures once he's lost weight. Even then, I'd go 'vet' rather than 'assist', unless you're experienced with assist feeding. Even then, a baby who knows how to eat and is choosing not to, is probably NOT for a reason. Assist feeding is for snakes who don't know HOW to feed.

[bcr229]

I agree these are defensive hits and not feeding attempts.

Check your temperatures first - if he's cold he won't eat. What are the ambient temperature and the surface temperature of his substrate/paper on the warm side, as measured with an IR thermometer or temp gun?

How big is his enclosure? Does he have two hides, one on the warm and the other on the cool side? What's his humidity? Have you been trying to feed him in or out of the enclosure? Have you tried just leaving the f/t feeder with him in the enclosure and then walking away? What was he eating for his prior owner?

[Mr Oni]

Defense

[ReagansViolent]

I am having this same problem I chose to do none of these, instead I chose to freak out and get nervous.

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