Ok, I'm trying to understand ball behavior. Today during feeding time, I did the mouse dance and he grabbed it right away, I wiggled it a bit after he had it. I went on to the next snake to feed. I went to check if he was done and he had dropped it and was exploring his feeding container. So I did the mouse dance again and this time he ate it. Why do they drop the mouse once they strike and grab it?

__________________
Colleen

I've only seen a ball drop a prey to find the head to eat it. I haven't ever seen one drop a prey and crawl off unless their not going to eat at all.

__________________
"Tonights forcast..... Dark." Al Sleet, the hippy dippy weather man, George Carlin. You will be missed.
http://schlange-titus.de
http://dght.de

Mine do this all the time. Its either cause its not hot enough or they lose intrest. Its a ball they are picky eaters. lol

__________________

Hello,

My first reaction was also that it may not have been warm enough. I have found that placing the feeders next to a heat source (on top of another herp tank) seems to warm them up nicely.

__________________
.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info

But I didn't warm it up before I offered it to her/him again. I just reached in with the tongs, grabbed it by the tail, did the mouse dance and he took it and ate it?

__________________
Colleen

just a random event I think.... maybe there is no explination. Maybe it got distracted while moving prey around to swallow. Then the lack of movement made it forget about it???:P

haha, i think it was just being silly. He ate atleast!

__________________
Don't be jealous the voices only speak to me...

www.swaziwildlifevolunteers.com

After I had given the ball his mouse, that he drooped. I fed the common baby, and then went on to the next one. Went back to check the common baby and she has her mouse wrapped in her coils, but her head was searching around looking for something else. She finally ate hers also. A day for silly snakes.

__________________
Colleen

WElcome to our world....my ball pythons do that all the time...sometimes ( I always feed a bunch at a time) I just offer a different food item and they grab and feed....frustrating at first, but you get used to it

__________________
Warmest Regards from Lyn

Yea my ball used to sit there with the tail in it's mouth squeezing it but would always try to eat it by the tail. I sold her but from what I know she still trys it every now and again eaiting by the tail, sometimes they just get bad shots and miss and until they feel safe to strike again they don't. Also sometimes you stopped moving it so it doesn't have that "live effect." Not sure but it could be!

yea I guess just a random event, bp's are pickey eaters, the only time mine would drop the pray is to search for the head and when I was standing to close to her feed tank, he would constrict it and kill it then just let it go and look up at me as if to say " hey you gonna through that other mouse in here", i would feed him 2 so he might have got used to it, i just crept away at a safe distance and a couple minutes later he was back to eating the mouse. man they are finicky eaters,lol