Yeah fret not, bro - many a shaky attempt left in the python's court has come out ok. You did right in leaving it by his hide - he knows what it is. The first few times that watched pot rarely boils - a couple of ours won't even investigate further until they are full and well convinced they are alone - and snakes have a lot more patience than us. This recent feed I was feeling the same way as Neph showed decided indifference in the "dancing" mouse-ghoul, even a couple hours later it was still flopped down by the hide entrance - the next morning - gone. With 'Suki, Benny and Betty the mouse is pretty much just left by the hide entrance anymore without the lord of the rodent dance needing to make an appearance. First few feeds some of em had when they settled in were a tong-dangled mouse - which they hit so hard it knocked the tongs against the enclosure and made them rethink their approach - i felt the same way - as if I had erred greviously and wounded their appetites.

And I know what you mean on the Sumatran front, beagle - maybe it is a function of a heavy-bodied snake (at their size anyway) rather than an exception - that heavy build is muscle, and in their youth they don't have to manage huge body weight and so their strike seems much more forceful relative to thinner bodied snakes. Seems our lil red blood Kali strikes fear into everyone who sees her fast hard strike (defensive ones much subsided).