Quote Originally Posted by Reptile King View Post
I have had my hatchling male normal ball python since August of 2009. His first three meals were live hoppers and he ate just fine. After the three live meals I made the switch to frozen thawed mice.

He has taken to frozen thawed just fine.

Yesterday I offered him food and he got in what appeared to be an aggressive posture and but never struck. He nudged the prey but did not seem interested. A day later I got the same response.

A day later he struck at the mouse with his mouth wide open but did not coil. He immediately took his mouth off (like a defensive strike). I second or so later he struck a second time, coiled, and dragged the prey inside his hide as if to want some privacy. He has never been bashful about eating in "public".

He ate the mouse but was just wondering if this is odd or not.
I have a male mojave, about the same age. Sometimes he strikes, sometimes he doesn't If he doesn't eat it, I usually leave it inside the hide for him. He eats it then. His striking seems to be on how hungry he is. If it's been 7 days, he'll strike right away. If it's only been 5, he'll just get himself cocked for the strike and just stare, so I put the hide back over him, leave the rat in the opening of the hide, and he usually comes over and eats it within and hour or so.

Now my larger female het for pied, her behgavior is simliar as well, but sometimes it takes up to a whole day before she eat what i leave behind. IN some cases she wont touch it at all, until i try to remove it. Then she attacks it and eats it.