Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my snake has the worst aim. she hits and misses but im starting to think she does this when shes not hungry? anyone have the same promblem? im worried she will be bitten by the rat? she is 800gr i feed her weanlings. why must balls not eat all the time??

"my snake has the worst aim. she hits and misses but im starting to think she does this when shes not hungry? anyone have the same promblem? im worried she will be bitten by the rat? she is 800gr i feed her weanlings. why must balls not eat all the time??"

Yes they will strike repeatedly at a prey item when they're not hungry. It's called punching. It's a strike that connects but the mouth is closed or barely open. So it's best just to remove the rodent and try again in a week. Is she about to go into a shed? A few of my BP's will punch their rodents when they aren't hungry or are starting their shedding.

Hope this helps. Good luck
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Christine
Tails With Scales Reptiles
Looks, brains, and venom . . . . how do I stay single?

no not shedding. i guess shes just not hungry.

When they aren't hungry they do this in an effort to get the offending rodent away from them. It's a "get outta my space" kinda thing.

Quig
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Don't interupt me when I'm talkin' to myself

both my ball python and my king snake yesterday were doing the multi "kill" thing with their food yesterday even though I always pre-kill

One thing to consider is the animals vision. One of my ball pythons started to exhibit this behavior a few months after i bought it, turned out the animal was blind. Great snake, just takes a few more tries to get its food just right.
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-Dan
www.redfinsolutions.com
www.dracosplace.com