Weird feeding behavior...

[summerstormz]

Hi everyone...need some insight if you wouldn't mind. I've owned my BP for over a year now (he'll be 2 in March) and so far he's been on a live rat diet. For a month now, when I show him a live rat, he'll back away from it and seems very disinterested in it. I decided to freeze it, then thaw to room temp and try dangling it in front of him again. He went straight for it. I thought 'cool. Problem solved.' Two weeks later I tried a live feeding again-no go. Froze it and thawed it then tried to dangle it to show him and he slithered right past it. I laid it down in his terrarium and the next morning it was gone. At least he was eating. Last night, I froze two rats and thawed them and put them in his terrarium for him. He ate them right up. Here's my question: has anyone else had experience with their pythons seeming to be disinterested in live feedings? Does this mean something bigger like a potential health issue? I want to make sure I'm doing all the right things here. Thanks for your help!&

[BCS]

It's fine. Who would want to do all that work anyway when they could just drop dead at your feet... will in snakes case, drop dead at eye level. I have a snake who is terrified of anything that moves, me or rat... doesn't matter but will eat a rat that is not moving at all. As long as they are eating, nothing to worry about.

[StillBP]

was he ever bitten by one of the live rats?
I have seen a rat bite a snake (not one of mine) and it shy away from live after that

[summerstormz]

Ha ha! True-why work so hard when your owner will eventually just drop fresh meat on your lap. What a lazy Python he's becoming! Thank you for your reply!!

[summerstormz]

He was bit about six months ago...right under his neck. It wasn't too bad; a few scales were missing. I kept an eye on it to make sure an infection didn't start. He went right back to feeding like normal after that. So what exactly has happened this month I have no idea. He still comes out and 'plays' every time I get him out. No aggression. Perhaps just laziness? Thanks much for your reply!

[Asherah]

I have one that usually will not eat unless you lay the FT rat in the middle of his coils while he is laying on his heat source. He's just a weirdo like that. Of course, last time he was fed, he struck out of no where and nearly scared the pants off me. I wasn't ready!

[cristacake]

Mine seems to have different moods for feeding. Sometimes she rears up and strikes almost immediately. Sometimes she shies away from it and I'll have to set the thing down on the ground and just leave and check back in a few minutes.

Feed #6, I had to set it down and only after about 10 seconds she slithered up all casual and slow... then ate the thing like a hotdog. No strike, no constriction, just opened her mouth calm as you please and started chowing down. Feed #7, she struck like a bullet while I was still lowering the thing into the tub.

I'd say they just feel like different things on different days

edit: Oh, and sometimes I have to make the poor little f/t 'dance' or else she won't strike, but other times I have to lay them down or else she seems agitated by the whole feeding situation. So I wouldn't worry to much about your baby only wanting f/t as a health issue. Maybe he's just mellowing out or realizing that f/t are easier to eat or something.