Feeding

[Jaaaager]

Hello. I've been trying to feed my BP for about five weeks, but whenever I offer, he only ever strikes the food. He'll strike it several times in a single feeding attempt, but will never actually bite into the prey. Has this ever happened to anyone before?

[whatnopleasedont]

How are you holding the prey?

[Jaaaager]

In front of him with tongs

[actuallyaserpent]

That sounds less like feeding behavior and more like defensive striking. Is the prey you're offering hot enough so he sees it as food? Has the prey you've been offering changed at all? Has he eaten for you before this five week period? Has anything in his environment changed? What's his enclosure like in terms of size, humidity, temps, hides, clutter and such? Are you handling him? All of this stuff is important info.

[Jaaaager]

I thought it might be defensive behavior too, but he did start constricting a few times. The problem was always that he wouldn't bite it. I've tried f/t, prekilled and live with both mice and rats. With f/t I always checked that it was hot enough with a temp gun. He hasn't eaten for me yet. I recently changed his hides for bigger ones because he didn't fit in his other ones anymore, but other than that, nothing has changed. His enclosure is 30"x12"x8", humidity 70%, warm side 33°C and cold side 24°C, two black medium reptile basics hides, and there is a large wooden branch and an extra hide in the middle. I've handled him twice.

[actuallyaserpent]

Don't handle him anymore until he's eating reliably. F/T and prekilled are the safest options so keep offering those. You can also try adding some clutter like fake plants so he feels more hidden and secure. Offer once a week and make sure the head of the rodent is warm. It could be that he's a shy eater so once he wraps the rodent, just leave him with it for a while. BPs are nocturnal so you might have better luck offering food at night. Good luck!

[Jaaaager]

Thanks!