Ball Python Keeps Biting and Holding

[Bogertophis]

I wonder if sense of smell and eye site both are diminished or non existence?

That's possible too...but most snakes (including BPs) don't rely on vision for anything other than the motion that signifies "prey" to them. That's why a hungry
snake will chase our motion thru the glass/plexi of a cage, but back off when they finally get our scent & realize their mistake. They go by scent & touch mostly.

But of course when snakes are bred in captivity for fancy morphs, all sorts of strange genetic things can happen (including "lethal genes"). No way to be sure, we
can only try to suggest reasons online...so you can rule out issues like insufficient food or parasites. And to be honest, some snakes ARE smarter than others.....