My experiences differ completely with this. I have a few older snakes that wont eat or strike at any f/t prey items while I am in the room. I come back in the next morning and the rat is consumed. Because I was interested in their eating time frame I noted the timing of eating after offering. I usually feed boas around 6-7 pm, and one of my biggest females still hadnt eaten around midnight, but by 7 am the next day the rat was gone. Even had a burm, a retic, and another boa do this as well.