My ball python looks like he trying to bite after feeding?

[Spinnerman]

So i fed my ball python and about half an later i went to check his temps and it looked like he was trying to get close to strike and eat my finger lol is this normal after feeding and also i fed him a small wiener rat which looks just about right for him but he ate it quite quickly should i maybe up it to a large wiener rat?

[noodlestsc]

It's normal for your BP to still be in feeding mode for a while after a meal

[Slither Seeker]

I'm new to BP's but my BR boa when he was young would get in to "eating mode" after eating. it's like the part of their brain for food is either on or off and when it's on, anything warm that moves can become "a thing of interest". I've come to handling before feeding or two days or more after feeding to avoid the confusion. I feed him in a separate container and don't so much as touch him after he eats, using a large plastic tray to get him back in his enclosure. thankfully he has grown out of that for the most part. if it's defensive posturing you noticed, perhaps more frequent handling would help. it's it's growing faster than your item size, it may be on the skinny side and deceiving you on what food size it needs if you are going based on girth. for the one's that are just feisty by nature, a snake hook seems to be a good idea for that initial picking up, where you can direct their head away from you as you touch them, bypassing their strike response.

[cletus]

Yep. I don't put my hands in their enclosure for a couple hours after eating if I can help it. Sometimes they just can't help but strike when they are in rat mode.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Snake remain in feed more hours after a meal so trying to do maintenance or getti bg a temps reading is just not the best idea. Same prior to a meal if you feed on a regular schedule.

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[Chloe]

Weaner rat. Weaner, not wiener. A wiener dog is a dachshund . A wiener rat has not been bred yet.

A weaner dog is a puppy coming off of milk. They're being weaned.

[Spinnerman]

so it has been a day later now and he is still doing it lol. Is this normal?

[Slither Seeker]

if i'm getting the heebie-jeebies, I'll block the head from striking and pick them up from behind. so far, it seems like striking is a reflex most often stimulated from in front of their face, once picket up they don't seem to be as prone in my experience. half of it for me is just getting over my own apprehensions. some snakes seem to be eager to be held, maybe it's just gotten more used to you?