my ball has been eating irregularly as of late ( going off and back on feed) and now i just spent 10 days in the hospital and fed her today. The only rat available was a really small pup almost adult mice size. And she constricted it without biting and then ate it. Ever happen? is this normal? is her jaw injured?
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Constriction without bite?
happysurgeman
Apr 15, 2006 03:56 PM
Replies (2)
ginebig
Apr 15, 2006 09:27 PM
Mind you, this is just my opinion. My male has done this in the past also. I believe it's an instinctual thing. Calabar Ground Pythons and Saharan Sand Boas kill this way. These are what's called nest raiders. They go into a burrow where there is a nest of young rats or mice and kill them all at once by pressing them against the walls of the burrow, then eating them at their leisure. Ball pythons in the wild are known to raid nests. So I believe it's the same thing.
Quig
jyohe
Apr 15, 2006 09:36 PM
all snakes will and can do it......
at times they feel the food and don't have a good sight or bite at it.so they just grab and kill first as mentioned in nest raiding motions....
..at times I have seen them bite and wrap and the rodent bites them in the face and it hurts so they let go with their mouth yet sqeeze and wrap even harder to kill faster....
they know that the harder and better wrapped food is the faster it dies and less it bites.....
at times they just know harm from prey is of no concern so they just wrap it........
happens alot here too
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JYReptiles
Scales-N-Tails Reptiles ltd........Pa
