Ball Python Hunting for Rat But Can't Find It?

[CloudtheBoa]

Just out of curiosity, did you also try the zombie walk? I'd give that a 'shake' too....

Yup. I waved it around, and then set it down on his hide. I didn't try for long, because that usually scares him to death and last time I did it I got a nice bite. He's not coming out during the day from what I can tell, but he's periodically sticking his head out to look around and I saw him out and about when it got dark. He's back in his hide now, though.

[Ripsaw642]

get a cheap pair of plastic tongs, use the tongs to hold the prey by the tail, zombie walk it til he bites and constricts it. Sounds like he still wants to eat, just needs some help with recognizing the food again.....Mine won't touch f/t yet, unless i do exactly this, then he thinks it's still live, and has no problem....( i got bit twice before i went and bought some PLASTIC tongs)....

[CloudtheBoa]

get a cheap pair of plastic tongs, use the tongs to hold the prey by the tail, zombie walk it til he bites and constricts it. Sounds like he still wants to eat, just needs some help with recognizing the food again.....Mine won't touch f/t yet, unless i do exactly this, then he thinks it's still live, and has no problem....( i got bit twice before i went and bought some PLASTIC tongs)....

I mean, he does strike it...but he just lets go and then he puffs up and runs away. He's just fear-striking and getting stressed. He's eaten f/t 5 times before, with no movement, just setting it down in front of his hide. I guess I can keep trying, maybe he'll get over it idk. Is there a certain way that maybe wouldn't scare him as much? I've tried dangling it above him, just holding it by the tail and going back and forth, in circles in front of him, and even dragging it across the bedding so there wasn't a big hand hovering over him.

[Drift]

If it hasn't been mentioned already I would avoid boiling water. Any risk of cooking the rat at all is best avoided. I use a cheap hair dryer on its low setting. It's quick, easy, and gets the scent in the air which usually gets the snakes interested quickly.

In my experience the inability to 'find' the rat that you describe is pretty normal. Sometimes they'll take it on their own no problem, and sometimes it's like they just don't recognize the food, but they know it smells like food.

I keep the rat at around ground level and shuffle it around a bit. Usually they take it quickly, if they don't I might try shuffling it a bit closer to them, or shuffling it a bit farther away. They seem to go for it when it gets close or farther from them. Sometimes they'll constrict but wont swallow it, and they'll go poking around looking for it like they've somehow lost it after constricting and then give up, in which case I retrieve it and offer it a second time.

It gets a bit frustrating sometimes, but it's always worked given enough patience.

Trick is just to be patient and to remember that they can be a bit skittish, even with prey.

[CloudtheBoa]

If it hasn't been mentioned already I would avoid boiling water. Any risk of cooking the rat at all is best avoided. I use a cheap hair dryer on its low setting. It's quick, easy, and gets the scent in the air which usually gets the snakes interested quickly.

In my experience the inability to 'find' the rat that you describe is pretty normal. Sometimes they'll take it on their own no problem, and sometimes it's like they just don't recognize the food, but they know it smells like food.

I keep the rat at around ground level and shuffle it around a bit. Usually they take it quickly, if they don't I might try shuffling it a bit closer to them, or shuffling it a bit farther away. They seem to go for it when it gets close or farther from them. Sometimes they'll constrict but wont swallow it, and they'll go poking around looking for it like they've somehow lost it after constricting and then give up, in which case I retrieve it and offer it a second time.

It gets a bit frustrating sometimes, but it's always worked given enough patience.

Trick is just to be patient and to remember that they can be a bit skittish, even with prey.

I do try to keep the time in the water to a minimum, since I don't really have a hair dryer on hand because it takes a ridiculous amount of time to dry my hair with it. lol I may go out and get one, though.

Thanks for that info, I'd never encountered this problem with mine before, he always found it immediately and ate it. He was fed live for 7 years and I just recently switched him to f/t a couple months ago, he's 7.5 years old now. I'll keep trying to tease him and maybe he'll get it one of these times. lol You're right, it does get exasperating, so it's lovely I have the boa and garter.

[Ripsaw642]

Wish i could keep a garter, where I live it's illegal to keep garter snakes of any sort, because they're considered wildlife.....Even if you were to buy them captive bred from a pet store or breeder, which is also illegal ......My kids bring them home, and i have to tell them their harmless snake is illegal to keep. Good luck with getting Bud to eat....

[CloudtheBoa]

An update for everyone:

He finally took a rat! He refused it last week, but I offered again today. I was going to yesterday, but I had to take him out to work on his bedding so I gave him that day to settle down. I set the rat out, and when I opened his tub I bent down and saw his little nose at the entrance, just hovering there. I waved the rat in front of him, and he struck so hard that the front of the hide jumped up in the air. He didn't grab the rat, but managed to knock it onto the bedding. I picked it back up waved it again, just in case it was just a failed strike and not a fear response. This time, his aim was true and he tore the rat from the tweezers and drug it into his hide. I was grinning from ear to ear. This was the end of his 13th week on strike, so fingers crossed he'll repeat this next time!

Is a small rat every two weeks ok, or should I go back to my original medium rat every two weeks? The small rats are about half his girth, and the mediums are roughly as big around as his widest part. I figure weekly would be too often, especially since he's gone a good amount of time without food?

[sopa]

Just out of curiosity, did you also try the zombie walk? I'd give that a 'shake' too....

heh heh, that's "punny"

sorry, couldn't resist..