Do BPs ever quite constricting F/T prey?

[Chu'Wuti]

Hey, people of much experience! A friend on another forum just got her first BP. It has been eating live prey, and she's planning to switch it to F/T prey. She wants to know if it will quit constricting its prey after it gets used to eating F/T.

Her corns no longer constrict; they just start engulfing the prey item.

I've never heard of BPs not constricting, but I don't have as much experience as most of you guys, so I told her I'd ask.

[Kmef07]

my brb doesnt really anymore but if you pull the prey a little when the snake strikes it triggers them to constrict and try and get the prey better. at least this is what i have noticed.

[mykee]

I don't have (or ever had) a single ball python that does not constrict it's food it; live, f/k or f/t. From all the babies I've raised up over 7 years of breeding (over 1000) I've never had a single baby stop constricting food once I switch from live to f/t or f/k either.

[citysnakes]

same here. all of my balls constrict everything but the few that are conditioned to take a f/t rat off the enclosure floor just find the head and start swallowing.

my dumerils boas on the other hand seem to understand that they dont have to constrict anymore and they just politely take the rats from me and start swallowing. its kinda cute.

[Aaron_S]

So far I've never seen a ball python not constrict their food. That's in low 100's that I've seen.

My borneo short tail python is another story.

[angie_85]

I once gave my larger female 2 mice, they were both f/t, she constricted the first one but when i dropped the second one in she looked at it for a bit and just swallowed it. I have only had her 2 months and she has been eating live or f/t mice and rats, only that once did she not constrict it.

[mykee]

She believed it was the same food item, hence the not constricting the second one. Many people do that with rats' it's called powerfeeding and is frowned upon by the respectable community.

[siz]

My BP has taken 1 F/T rat without constricting that I know of. It took her a while to decide it was even food though.

[angie_85]

That does make sense Mykee, thank you for that bit of insight. Just to clarify, the mice I had for her were too small for her to eat just one, so I gave her 2. I have heard of powerfeeding though, and would never consider it. Seems dangerous to have a snake much bigger than it should be just because you want it to be bigger.

[mykee]

Just to clarify, I don't think what you did would be considered powerfeeding. It is pretty common with breeders who spend big bucks on a male morph to get it big enough to be producing sperm plugs though. Sad really.. lowers the animals lifespan and makes for an unhealthy life as well.

[Gerrod]

My ball python regularly takes a large f/t rat without conctricting

[Chu'Wuti]

My ball python regularly takes a large f/t rat without conctricting

OK, so we've got at least one BP in the world that doesn't constrict anymore! I'll tell my friend! Thanks, Gerrod--and welcome to the forum!

[Wolfus_305]

Hmmm.. that's pretty cool!
I don't know what my bp's eating habits are...oh wait, he hasn't eaten yet. Grr.
Best wishes,
Kenny

[Chu'Wuti]

I don't know what my bp's eating habits are...oh wait, he hasn't eaten yet. Grr.

Kenny, still not?? :(

Hey, how's your biology paper going?