So my BP (had him going on 1.5 years) has always been an eating machine. But recently when he struck at the rat, he bit into the floor and got a mouthful of substrate, which I then had to pluck out of his mouth. Since then, he hasn’t been wanting to strike and doesn’t look as enthused - he’ll eat it, but only if I put it on him in his hide. Is he too lazy now or what’s going on? Did he traumatize himself or something? Or is it just coincidental, and it’s because they slow down for the winter? Any insight appreciated.
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I don’t think laziness has anything to do with it at all. When he struck and missed he could have injured his mouth. Or, at a year and a half, the winter season may be slowing him down. Or, maybe you should lengthen the number of days between feedings so maybe he will be more enthusiastic, etc.
Tbh and imho, as long as he is eating I don’t see what difference it makes if he strikes and coils or if he just eats it gently in his hide. But again, he could have a sore mouth…….
Just a few ideas…….
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Is there something I should do if he does have a sore mouth? Or would it heal on his own, considering he is eating?
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If it were me, as long as he continues to eat, I would not worry about it. There are so many factors that could be involved it’s hard to say one way or another. Just keep an eye on him of course. I’m sure he’ll be fine…… 
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Not exactly the same situation as yours, but a few years ago one of my ball pythons out of the blue started striking and missing and after a few attempts just gave up and took no interest in her rats. I do believe it was a sore mouth that caused her to stop, but she did eventually recover with no missed strikes. I thought it was weird and it worried me to the point that I set a date to call the reptile vet but she returned to her old self about a week before I planned on calling.
You have probably ruled out the basics but I’ll list them out anyway, just in case. Here’s what I’d consider as possible reasons (and as @caron has already mentioned, it could be that he injured his face, as was likely what happened to my girl)
- In shed?
- Has he been moved to another area in your room/apartment/house?
- Has he been moved into a different enclosure?
- Did his bedding material change?
- Have humidity or temps changed (in his enclosure)
- Did the food change in size or did the food source change? (company/different batch)
That’s all I can think to list right now, aside from the great input that @caron has already given.
Keep us posted 
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It may be nothing more than slowing down for winter, but it’s possible that he damaged his mouth. This can be no big deal and heal on its own. It can also become a big problem. Oral damage can result in stomatitis, or mouth rot, which will need veterinary treatment. There may also be a possibility of ingested substrate causing some internal issues. How long ago was the strike involving the mouthful of substrate? Can you get a good look in his mouth? Has he passed waste normally?
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Actually @germondaline in light of the possibilities @caryl mentioned maybe it might not be a bad idea to have him checked out by a reptile vet just to be on the safe side…… 
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It could be a number of things, as already stated. I would cut back feeding just in case it is an injury. Hold off for a month, it won’t hurt him and would give it time to heal if needed. Then feed smaller and observe what is happening. Not knowing your feeding schedule, at this age and with this happening, I would cut back to every 14 days (if you are not doing so already). They tend to not eat as often as they get to this age. If you have seen any miss feedings, or less interest, then I think it is at this stage.
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Hi! Thanks for all of that input. I’ll try to answer as correctly as possible.
He was definitely not in shed when i fed him.
He hasn’t been moved at all.
His bedding material is just his usual reptichip, though I did change it at one point after he bit into it if thats what you mean?
I’ve always kinda switched between laynelabs and bigcheese, small rats. Company and size doesnt really affect him.
When i picked the substrate from his mouth, i didnt notice anything unusual, and when i check him out he acts as normal and i dont see any swelling/mouthrot.
I did hear that they can just be dumb and become startled and not wanna eat from tongs for a while because of weird happenings, maybe thats it? Since he is eating if i just leave it in there
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Hi! I already feed him every 14 days honestly - hes actually 22 months, i got him when he was 6 months. Occassionally ill feed him every 3 weeks, and i think ill make that his standard feed time. He hasnt missed any feedings at all since i got him, and has only been weird about taking from tongs since after the biting floor thing
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I havent noticed mouth rot. When i take him out and he yawns, i can usually get a good look into his mouth without being invasive. (He yawns normally just in case you needed to know, not excessively or anything and this hasnt been affected by his bite into the ground lol) it has been about a month since his ground strike, i think. He also doesnt poop for quite a while, even before. Hes passed urates since then though
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Sounds like it could be an injury of some degree or just scared him. If eating and no other health or injury signs, I would monitor and skip a meal to see if he come back around to his normal self. Jeep us updated.
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Okay will do! I’ll just not feed him for a month then, just in case. He does act like his normal self whenever he’s just looking for food.
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You can use a popsicle stick to open his mouth and inspect his teeth. If anything is amiss it will be easy to see. Helps to have a second person to hold a flashlight on the open mouth.
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I don’t really see any bright red washing flags in anything you’ve seen @germondaline. You’ve noticed that his behavior has changed, which means you’re a good keeper who pays attention.
If it’s been a bit longer than usual, for him, well, t never hurts to let them have a 10-15 minute soak. It can help with hydration, and the movement can stimulate GI tract movement. If he’s hanging out more in his hide, less active due either to something physical or to having spooked himself, he may not be drinking as much as usual.
Great idea! It’s really hard to get a good look at all those nooks and crannies while they yawn. A second pair of hands is super helpful for this.
Hopefully a bit more time will get your boy right as rain.
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Thank you! No, nothing else has changed. He acts normal otherwise both when he’s being handled and in his enclosure when he comes out to look for food.
It just seems that the rats are somehow making him more nervous now. He comes out to sniff it but takes forever and my hand gets tired of holding the tongs and any sudden movement from it just has him retreat whereas before hed jump on it so fast he makes me jump lol, so i was worried. But if i put it in there with him, he eats it no problem.
Its just odd, since hes never been a high stress snake at all. His breathing is always even when handled and he explores easily. Ive also given him like 2 soaks before (when he was dirty cause he brushed his own poop and hes white) and he doesnt care, kinda just sits and blows bubbles. Doesnt even mind his head messed with. I just wouldnt want his food to turn into a stressor for him is all, even though the rat is f/t and did nothing and hes the one who faceplanted himself.
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Lol well said. We love them, but sometimes animals are just silly. They can do goofy things and spook themselves. Avoiding a situation they perceive a dangerous (we know they’re safe, but they may not) us an imperative survival mechanism. Hopefully that’s all that your boy has going. If the only thing that’s changed is his feeding behavior, I’d just be like @caron and feed him wherever he wants, and not worry about it.
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This is purely anecdotal as I only have one BP myself, but we once when we had just gotten our girl, we had to pick her up off of her (at the time) favourite branch. She got really spooked by being picked up there and she never went on that particular branch again after that, even after she got used to us.
Definitely follow the advice from more experienced keepers upthread to monitor for problems, but also… I think sometimes they form strong associations about slightly illogical things. Bless em, they do their best, but their brains are the size of a peanut and they can be goofs.
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