hey guys! in July I bought a male bel. I did not know I wanted a blue eyed Lucy until I saw him. he is definitely my fav snake I have! he has the best personality and is so cute. anyway, he always eats great but the last to times I tried to feed he he was super interested in the smell when I was thawing the rat, he was coming out of the hide to try and find the rat. but we I offer it to him he acts like he is going to strike but he doesn’t.
any suggestions?
thanks!
have you tried to just leave it in there by itself for an hour or 2? they sometimes like to be left alone for feeding
I have not, I just don’t want the rat to go bad
as long as you don’t leave it out for more than 6 hours it should be fine. A lot of people actually let their rodents sit out at room temp to thaw out which depending on the size can take over 8 hours.
ok thanks for the reply
When they get bigger, they can change their eating habits. It might be time to switch to every other week, if you are feeding weekly. Also if the meals are too big, they might not need to eat for a long period.
Meal size and feeding frequency are big topics. You can find many posts on them. It would be worth checking them out. If for nothing else, just information and things to look out for.
I feed him every 10 days and he is about a year and 3 months
Not unusual for males to go off feed a couple months in the fall. It will eat when it’s ready.
ok thank you 
Is he in shed? Also, double check your temps; both the hot spot and cool side. Keeping the ambient at ~78F-80F is really beneficial for keeping them eating.
temps r right and he is not in shed either.
At that age, this could be normal for him. I have several that do this from time to time. Mostly males. Seems to be a seasonal thing with them.
It’s also worth noting that like d_y_python said, eating habits can change - we feed snakes a lot more in captivity than they really need to be fed and would be their natural schedule in the wild, sometimes they may not be able to find a meal for months at a time. I feed my subadult males every two weeks and my adult males every three weeks. As long as his body condition is good and he’s not acting weird (lethargic, more aggressive, etc.) I wouldn’t worry until it’s been at least a couple months of him refusing. Also, my other trick is just to make sure the rat is super warm - I put mine in 110 degree water before offering, and often this will entice the hesitant ones.
ok thanks for the help