Striking and missing?

[lizzylizard]

Hi all,

I have a one year old ball python who, in the last couple months, has been striking at the prey and missing, sometimes a few times in a row before he'll take it. He's a lesser morph, so he shouldn't have any wobble. Is it the heat signature? I feed F/T mice that are thawed in warm water to a little more than room temperature, should they be hotter?

Basically, do I need to change my feeding habits or should I be concerned about another health issue?

[Craiga 01453]

You should be presenting the prey at roughly 100 degrees. Sounds like that's where the issue is.

[Bogertophis]

More warmth may (or may not) help...some snakes are shy about grabbing f/t prey (instincts assume live) so they do some "test" strikes first, and snakes
that aren't hungry (going into shed?) will do this defensively too, but since yours ultimately is taking it, I assume that maybe it should be warmer.

[lizzylizard]

Alright, I'll increase the temperature and see how that goes. Thanks!