Greetings all, I'm new to posting but have been reading a lot. I've had my ball python, Matilda, since she was a baby...about 7 months now. At first I had problems with her eating so I called the reptile store I bought her from and they suggested I place her in a tied up pillowcase overnight with the mouse and place part of the pillowcase on her heating pad in the cage. I did, and it worked. Eventually she started grabbing the food herself and I was excited, but then after about 3 weeks of feedings, she stopped doing this and every week when I feed her its the same routine.

She just doesn't seem interested in the thawed/warm dead mouse I dangle in front of her. I tried feeding her after turning out the lights at night when she comes out, I tried dipping the mouse in chicken broth, I tried leaving the mouse in her cage in her favorite hiding spot overnight only to find it still there the next morning, just about everything. The only thing that works is the pillowcase trick, but I really would like her to just eat the mouse the normal way and strike at it without me having to bag her every week overnight.

She's also very shy and rarely comes out of her hides. So far she has not once displayed any aggressive behavior. She has not bitten or attacked anyone. Any suggestions for making her more interested in eating and maybe make her less anti-social?

Right now her cage setup is pretty standard. Aspen shavings, under-tank heating pad on the far right side with a hide on top of it with a branch going from it to the left side where there is another hide on the cool side. Screen top and basking light. I was thinking about switching from aspen bedding to reptile carpet but was wondering if I should do that.