Quote Originally Posted by Crazy4Herps View Post
Ball pythons are funny when it comes to food in general. I'm very glad yours is taking f/t rats! That's certainly more than can be said about some. I have seen this behavior (only eating f/t when it is left in the cage overnight or for a period in the dark) in several snakes. I don't entirely understand it, but as keepers we have to figure out the individual snake's needs and preferences and go with what works. Not every snake is going to be the same, and the guidelines you typically read for feeding f/t do not apply to all snakes.


Nope, you're doing everything fine.


Absolutely. Also, in regard to your most recent post, it is normal to see a dramatic increase in girth immediately after switching to larger food.


Depends on the snake. Most of mine only take food from tongs, though some will only eat f/t if they are left alone with it in the dark (I typically place a towel over the cage if I need to do work in the room). And my boas really don't care either way; they're pigs.


And by the sounds of it, I don't think you really need hemostats, if he won't take food from tongs anyway? I just use salad tongs for feeding ball pythons, I've never had any issues with a ball going after my hand during feeding.
I thought i was going to have to leave it over night this second time, but i came back like 15 minutes later and she already was getting it down. My BP doesn't seem to be too shy in front of me because it keeps biting and attempting it, so I guess it just needs some time to get going and find the head.

HaHa I guess you may be right about the hemostats. I don't know why, but I kind of have it in my mind it has something to do with how I am offering it, since mostly everyone from what I read or see in feeding videos they are offering it with hemostats or tongs and the snake strikes the head and coils up, which is what I want. At least that would be a little exciting and more natural for the snake.

I loved watching him strike and coil a live mouse, and hear the streak the mouse gives when the snake strikes hard.

If I would be able offer with hemostats and actually get the snake to strike, and not just calmly and gently bite it rat, then maybe he would get the head and coil up. Thats why I thought I might need them.

Plus the first time I was offering the f/t rat with the 10" tongs I have, the snake would come up and smell the head, then move up to the body then up towards the tail, coming up pretty high in the 10 gal. tank I have the snake in in, and I was thinking that since the tongs aren't that long maybe the snake was picking up the heat or some sort of scent from my hand. maybe an 18" hemostat would solve that, or maybe he just wanted to get out of the cage and get some exercise lol.