Wierd Eating Habits... Can I help?

[Kilo]

I have a female ball python that has some wierd eating habits. First off she never eats in front of anyone. Then when she does eat is has to be pitch black and abosolutey no one around for 2 hours minimum. Then on some weeks she doesn't eat at all.

Temp are perfect, hum is great. Any ideas?

[darkangel]

My boa is like this. If you're sitting there he will just stare at you all annoyed until you put his lid back on and turn off the light.

[jknudson]

Some snakes...just like people are quite quirky. I had two that would do the same thing....I took a recommendation to add loosely crumpled paper to their tubs (which at the time I hadn't though about, both girls had hides in their dark tubs), within weeks the two girls were flying out of their tubs for their dinner.

[Kilo]

Some snakes...just like people are quite quirky. I had two that would do the same thing....I took a recommendation to add loosely crumpled paper to their tubs (which at the time I hadn't though about, both girls had hides in their dark tubs), within weeks the two girls were flying out of their tubs for their dinner.

I'm trying to picture exactly how it would look if I added loosley crumbled paper. Should I fill the tub? Do you have a picture?

Thanks to both of you for your input.

[frankykeno]

Here's the "newspaper" trick done in a small bp's home to help it feel more secure (yes there is a snake in these pics lol).

Enclosure Before....


Top View (after adding in newspaper)....


Side View.....


It is worth a try. A simple trick but it's worked for a few of our snakes. Some, however, are just very private eaters and we have more than one that won't eat if you are hanging around or the room is bright or noisy (vibrations).

[Ginevive]

I never bother any of my snakes while eating. For a few that are more shy, I just toss a blanket over the rack to cover their tub from view. I see no reason to antagonize them. Some of them (namely, Ginger and my corn snake) will get distracted by you if you make any motion in between their constricting and eating the prey.

[digcolnagos]

Mine was eating F/T large mice when I got him. Switched him to F/T small rats, no problem. Used a feeding tub, because that's what the previous owner used. Things went fine for several months, then he stopped eating. After a couple weeks of refusals, I put the F/T rat in his cage. Gone the next morning. Ever since, he has never taken the F/T prey from my hand. If I leave it in his cage, it's gone the next day. Today, for the first time, I tried feeding in the morning before work (usually I offer at night). Same deal, wouldn't strike. So I left it in his cage. Got home from work, still there. So I leaned the rat against the opening of his hide. Gone within ten minutes--he dragged it inside and wolfed it where no one could see him.

Odd, I think, but if it works for him, it works for me. From now on, I suppose he gets room service.

BTW, yet another reason to go F/T instead of live, at least in my book.

[weirdbuglady]

Some of my snakes will refuse to eat if you're watching, or you can only watch if you're perfectly still and they dont see any movement. I feed my snakes in the evening because thats when they're all the most active, and they prefer when it's darker.

My snakes mostly eat f/t and my corn will take his small rats right out of my hand, one of my milks will eat it after a few minutes of inspection, the other will only eat it late at night, my ksb will strike at anything that moves when it's hungry, my bp female is finicky, sometimes she'll strike at it right away and sometimes I need to leave the rat in her cage overnight, my new male is still eating live but I'll switch him soon. And I have a candoia carinata that so far only eats treefrogs, only when they hop a certain correct way to strike her fancy.

When I have friends and relatives over they love watching the snakes eat but it can be tough to get people to sit still and stay calm enough to let the snakes eat in peace.

[Kilo]

Wow, thank you all for your time and input. I think newspaper trick might be my only option left. I have tried everything you guys mentioned except for it. My main intention is just eliminating weeks that she decides not to eat at all.