Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a really shy '03 girl who was not eating for awhile. She was so tiny that I feared she was going to be stunted in growth or something. I was trying for about 2 months now, to get her to eat f/t mice, but she always recoiled from them in fear and went into her hide, even when they were left in the cage overnight there was no feeding response. Previously at her former home, she had been feeding on live (yikes) mice, and one bit her in the nose and from then on she was terrified and showed no interest, only fear, to the live mice they were trying to feed her. So I took her home and decided to try f/t mice, but she merely retracted in fear and would not eat.
So last week, I got a live mouse from the store, whacked it, made sure it was dead, and left it in her cage for an hour. I returned, and it was gone! So I did the same with 2 more smallish mice, and she took them too! So I guess it's fresh-killed mice for her from now on.
Don't you LOVE that feeling when your previously off-feed BP is eating again? I feel like everything is right with the world! That, and my bigger male bp shed yesterday and his eye caps came off, along with his skin in one piece. I think I am doing something right! Thanks to everyone on here who helped educate me.
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I'm still waiting for my ball python to start eating. It hasn't eaten since late December. So I continue to offer food eat week. I know one of these days it will start again. I accept that it has its own timing.

I was so nervous about her not eating. It might be because I have only kept BPs for a lkilttle over a year, and never had one go off feed before. but this little girl was merely scared of the mouse (I would be too if one bit me in the nose, hehe.) I think that now that she realized it's dead and cannot harm her, she is OK with eating.
Good luck with your nonfeeder. Sometimes you wish you could just make them eat! But I guess they have their own schedule.
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"One man's pet is another man's feeder."