Quote Originally Posted by arpowell View Post
That's a great question, and I wish I knew an easy answer! I'd say it mostly depends on your individual snake. My girl's like yours, if she doesn't strike and coil immediately I can be reasonably confident she's not going to eat. You generally get the hang of noticing what a snake looks like when they're hungry - alert posture, focusing on the rodent, frequent tongue flicks, etc. - and if you don't see those signs, don't be disappointed if they don't eat. Some snakes can take longer to strike; I have a friend who sometimes has to sit with her bp for about five minutes before he strikes.

As a general rule of thumb, I'd chalk it up to a refusal if the snake is showing obvious signs of disinterest - to people, this often looks like the snake is acting scared of the food. Watch for the snake shying away from it. When my girl's in shed and I dangle the rat, she'll literally move away from it. Even then, I usually leave it in her tank overnight just in case.
Thanks so much, this is exactly the answer i was looking for


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