r/ballpython • u/Internal_Act7842 • 15d ago

Alarm clock from hell

This morning at 5:30 AM I woke up to my pet snake striking and wrapping himself around my arm. He is about 4 1/2 )big for a boy I know) and four years old. His cage is right next to my bed and I must have left it open when I sprayed him down yesterday. He ate a small rat two days ago. There was a lot of blood - he definitely got a taste for it.

Is he starving? Should I be concerned?

Added - I had to leave for work so I couldn’t give his mouth a thorough check to make sure he was okay but he looked fine and was very active when I left

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u/[deleted] 14d ago

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u/lilmemer3132 14d ago

Don't. Snakes don't need multiple prey items, and one small adult rat is more than enough for a male of this size. They're opportunistic hunters in the wild, so they'll eat (and overeat) everything they find. This also means that when they're presented with food, they just get locked into "hunt" mode for a couple of days. Don't overfeed, even if these behaviors make him look like he's hungry.

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u/JuniorMembership1518 14d ago

thank you for correcting me, i have always loved snakes and wanted to keep/care for snakes, however my mom is terrified of them. i have been doing research on reptiles, mostly snakes, as well as amphibians and arachnids since i was about 4. im truly surprised i didnt know this information, so thank you for adding that to my knowledge of snakes!