I haven't been on in a while, but this is the second time my ball python has "guarded" her food. Maybe she isn't even guarding but she will go in strike pose and just wait for like hours in front of her food.. or sometimes just hover over it. She eventually eats it.. but I dont understand why it takes so long for her to decide when a good time to strike is. Shes never skipped a meal, but I notice this behavior sometimes and was wondering if it was normal?