Looking for some suggestions on getting my BP back in his enclosure after he strikes from within. I've had a very finicky eater for a long time but the past four weeks he's been slamming rats every time offered. When I open the enclosure door, I like to hold the rat a little ways from him as not to scare him. He's been known to reject food if it's not presented in the 'correct way'. Anyways, as of late, he's been striking and coiling the food outside of his cage with part of his body still in the hide. Last night was no different and I tried to figure out how to get him back in the enclosure so I could shut the door and go to bed. I decided to use a snake hook to nudge him a little bit because in the past this caused him to instantly retreat back into his hide w/ the rat in his grips. After a couple of nudges, he retreated back in his enclosure while dropping the rat. Unfortunately the rat was there this this morning which was upsetting because he showed such an aggressive feeding response. I'm wondering if I should just leave the room next time and let him hang out of the enclosure for several minutes before I check back? How do others handle this situation?

On another note, I accidentally dropped my f/t mouse while feeding my BOA last night. I had to make a decision on whether to try and pick it up and get tagged. Luckily, I escaped un-tagged and was able to secure it and re-offer.