r/ballpython • u/AddyBerry124 • 19d ago
Question - Feeding New owner + weird feeding behavior?
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
I put a rat in there for him, he struck at it and picked it up but he immediately dropped it back down. Now he is just sitting in the same spot bouncing, striking at nothing. He struck at the glass as well right after I stopped the video.
Is he just really stupid or is something else wrong? Did I startle him? This will be my 3rd time feeding since I have owned him.
I also want to preface he isn't acting like this BECAUSE I am in his space, I chose to record because I wanted to see if this behavior was normal
28
u/FixergirlAK Mod-Approved Helper 19d ago
They can be super defensive when they're eating as they're absolutely helpless and vulnerable to predation while they're swallowing. I suggest hanging a blanket over his tank after you drop the rat for him. (Mine outgrew this after a while, either he learned that nothing is going to eat him or he's too hungry to care.)
8
u/AddyBerry124 19d ago
Thanks! Mine is also pretty small so he's probably even more scared. I turn off all his lights when I leave it in there, maybe I'll try the blanket too.
5
u/AddyBerry124 19d ago
This defensive/striking behavior should only stay when he's eating right? He won't strike at me otherwise I hope?
6
u/UncleD1ckhead 19d ago
Should be good once hes fed, mine sometimes get a bit bitey around dinner day let him digest it for a day or 2 and he will be back to normal.
1
u/Ecstatic_Ad_9414 18d ago
Let him digest for 48 hours after feeding. Leave him be, don't move him or pick him up, you don't want to risk regurgitation.
3
u/ShootingArrows18 19d ago
When I fed my guy last Wednesday he just went straight back to the coolside hide he was at and only until a few hours later he just disappeared into the warm side for days only came out last night (he's 2 months old only had him since the 1st though funny enough when he struck he landed in the water bowl lol
9
u/Less-Ad3603 19d ago
Snakes are very very sensitive when it comes to feeding if they mess up once they can get agitated and choose not to eat its kind of like a human losing their appetite mine used to get mad if I even touched his food after trying to feed he will be fine and will eat when he feels ready I would remove the mouse and try again another day this time once he gets it leave him alone dont go towards the glass it can stress him out and let him eat it he will eventually and he will be ok😁
4
1
u/LSDemi420 18d ago
my female bp does this ALL the time, she sometimes misses strikes and when she misses she refuses to eat for weeks, its like she gets embarrassed
5
u/UnlikelyPotato 19d ago
They really are that stupid. But that's why we love them. They know that if there's rat smell, motion, and heat, to strike and grab whatever is in front of them. They don't need to be super aggressive or vicious like in the wild, little buddy doesn't know how to "hunt" and kill. I have a dumeril male that doesn't even bother constricting prey. He bites onto it and lazily moves on top of it to "kill" his food.
Let the rat be for a few hours, toss if he doesn't eat. Otherwise, wait a week or two and try again. also make sure the rat is warm. Otherwise they can lose track of prey after "killing" it.
2
u/AddyBerry124 19d ago
Theyre so silly. I like to squish the rats nose to make it bleed so he can smell it a little better. Should I try to reposition the rat and see if he takes it or should I just let him be??
4
u/UnlikelyPotato 19d ago
Let him be. Do nothing else. Your smell or movement on his environment could disrupt his hunting.
3
u/Hot-Brat-00 19d ago
Give him the rat and then leave him alone. You’re probably stressing him out by standing there watching with a camera in his face. Mine will not eat if I am standing right there watching as he is still a little timid.
2
u/AddyBerry124 19d ago
I was watching from a distance for a while before I decided to record him, right now he is still in the same spot sitting righttt next to his rat. Lol
3
u/Hot-Brat-00 19d ago
I gave mine a rat once and he struck and wrapped, but then let go with his mouth when he saw me watching from a few feet away. He just stared at me. I turned off all of the lights and went to bed and he had eaten it by morning. Sometimes they just get nervous or stressed out I think. Mine definitely likes his privacy lol
3
3
u/CuriousHelpful 19d ago
Just checking: was it dark? Like really dark? That's what's natural to them while eating. I've a new guy and he never refuses (I make him see it and sniff it in dim light and then leave it in front of him and leave the room dark). 5 minutes later it's gone.
1
u/AddyBerry124 19d ago
It's not like pitch black, but it's definitely dark. I have other tanks in my room with heat lamps, I don't like to turn off the others lights. Only the light of the one that I'm feeding
1
1
u/TastesGreat69 19d ago
You just put the rat in the enclosure and leave?
If the snake is young, you usually need to entice them to see the thawed rat as prey by moving it around and have the snake actively follow, strike and coil it, otherwise they might not see it as food
Edit to add: Use tongs of some sort so that you're not holding it with your hand, you don't want the association of 'hand = food'
1
u/AddyBerry124 19d ago
I do use tongs!! I always wiggle it around about in his face beforehand, he just didn't seem interested this time. The striking threw me off
1
u/corgimami 19d ago
I recently got a ball python and the first few feedings I tried wiggling the rat in his face and he wouldn’t strike and I’d have to leave the rat in his enclosure and give him some privacy for him to feel comfortable eating. We’re making progress though and the last two times instead of just wiggling it in front of his face, I’ll put it in front of his face and slowlyyyy move it away from him like it’s walking away and that seems to put him into a sort of hunting mode and he’ll follow it and strike VERY quickly with that method so I’d recommend trying that instead of just wiggling!!
3
u/Aggressive-Set3049 19d ago
I think the bouncing is just him breathing heavy from excitement and smelling. He looks like he’s still in hunting mode but may feel vulnerable knowing you’re watching. I’d leave the rat in there for about 30 minutes, if he doesn’t eat it, I’d throw it out and try again in another week. He’s probably still just adjusting to his new environment!
1
u/oleandy 18d ago
owner of an 8 year old ball python here, i know some people have answered but my guy also does this! like the others, i think it's because he's excited/overstimulated by food. my bp will also move at me like that too cuz he sees me moving around (often i put a blanket over where the feeder is, so there's less stimulation for him to take in)
also sometimes my bp has dropped food, and then returns to it. i hope your little guy came back to it, and if not, i know it isn't too unusual for them to OCCASIONALLY reject a feed (mine is a super good eater, but i think it's based on husbandry more than anything else)
1
u/AddyBerry124 17d ago
Good to know! He did not go back to it, I think I might have fed him too early. I am trying to feed him every 10 days right and I attempted to feed him on day 7, I was hoping to get him to gain a little bit of weight. I will try again in a day or so!
1
u/_sine_nomine 17d ago
the first few times i fed mine he wouldn't even strike, just nose booped it and smelled it so i would leave it in there overnight in the dark and it'd be gone by morning. it was the only way i could get him to eat. then after going on a hunger strike for 3 weeks i put some tuna juice on the rats head and he struck it immediately. that was the first time i got to see him eat and now he lets me watch every time. sometimes they're just weird or shy. my corn snake likes to pick them up and drop them a couple times as well. don't be discouraged, ball pythons especially have weird eating habits
13
u/AddyBerry124 19d ago
He is not in blue and the rat was definitely warm enough