Pressing nose into mouse?

[Fletcher]

This is less of a problem/concern and more of a curiosity...when Phoenix is getting ready to take a pinky he'll press his nose into it a few times, occasionally opening his mouth a tiny bit but not taking it immediately. Sometimes it almost seems as if he's trying to open his mouth but can't - it might be him trying to find the best place to grab it, but I've done some googling and watched some feeding videos and I haven't found any evidence of this being typical corn behavior. Do any of your snakes do this? As far as I can tell it's not causing him any problems, he's eating just fine, but it piqued my curiosity!

[Eavlynn]

Some days, my Ezra seems less hungry than others. She'll bump the mouse, smell it, kind of examine it, and if she feels like it, she'll find the head and slowly open her mouth to start eating. Other days she strikes and wraps in a flash. I don't think anything is wrong with Phoenix, he's just a lazy eater :)

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[The Cat]

Melody often does that, too. I think it's harmless.

[DrPopkorne]

My snake often does that. He'll often seem to bump the mouse and won't fully open his mouth and feed until he's found the head.

[Nanci]

That's how snakes find the head. They feel for the hard skull, and feel the direction of hair growth. That's why hatchlings butt-munch often, but this behaviour usually disappears as they get older. It isn't that they learn; it's that the head gets easier to identify.

[Fletcher]

It's funny that it's a head-finding technique, since I don't think he's grabbed a single one of his pinkies by the head! That's interesting, though, thank you guys for explaining it!