Please help immediately!!! Feeding problems!

[DestinyLynette]

I have a 145g 3mo and roughly 16-20" long new BP. I got him in a week ago, and has settled in and considering he hasn't excreted, he hasn't eaten in a good bit. He's hungry.
So I got him a mouse today. An adult, live mouse; I used the feeding chart to determine this and everything, and the women at the pet store, after having seen Zerok before, suggested that size for him. After I got Zerok I asked the supplier what he had been feeding. They said, he eats mice or rats and they feed live. So I figure... no problem right? Wrong.

I put the mouse in. Zerok is tense and smelling the air. The mouse walks right by... multiple times. Zerok makes two "lunges"- enough to scare the mouse, but no attempt to strike. He knows it's food. Yet he doesn't seem to know what to do. A third strike- only air. Mouse runs to the other side. When it comes back, Zerok makes a fourth attempt a little later- not only does he miss, but he gets a mouth FULL of soil... I had to hold his jaws open and scrape it out to the best of my ability, as it had coagulated with the spit in his mouth.
I put him back in, he watches the mouse for a while. It is literally hopping over him, digging in the substrate, climbing his plant. And Zerok... goes into his hide. Leaving this life rodent to explore.

What do I do? I've never had this problem. My adult female has ALWAYS killed, and immediately. Now I have this live mouse on my hands... and I know he's hungry :/ Help?

[DestinyLynette]

Also I'm having suggestions to break the mouse's neck and try that way but I've never even done that before...

Oh, update: Zerok is now stickng his head out of his cave instead of hiding balled inside.
EDIT: just kidding... back in he goes.

[Kaorte]

Wait 5-7 days and try again!

it is very common for a new addition to refuse food for the first couple weeks. It's not a big deal. If you wait 5 days, he will then be super hungry and much more willing to eat!

Or you could try holding the mouse gently with some tongs right in front of the snake so he can get a clean strike

[rabernet]

Describe your setup.

What you are describing is defensive strike, not a feeding response.

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[DestinyLynette]

I tried to hold it with the tongs. It was squirming and all right in front of him; he just curled up. What do you recommend I do with the mouse until 5-7 days? Leaving it in there puts him at risk, does it not?

His cage is 32" x 15" x 15". Two hides at either end, one in the middle; a live plant more to the right of the middle. Large, shallow water container to the left, under the heat lamp. Cage is made of wood with two hinged doors with glass windows.

[bubblz]

Give it more time, some take longer than a week to settle in and start taking food. Just because he's striking and or observing the mouse doesn't mean he's hungry they can also be defensive strikes. To ward off the mouse but it's not working in his case since the mouse has no where to go which can cause stress. Just remove the mouse and give him more time to settle in before offering food again.

[KatStoverReptiles]

As others have said, he might still be stressed from the new environment. Give him another week and then try again. No handling except for cleaning until he eats. As Robin said, sounds like defensive striking.

As for the mouse, you can see if the pet shop will take it back. Otherwise get a little critter keeper and give it some cat food and some water. Then try again next week.

[DestinyLynette]

Okay, I'll not handle him and try again in a week. I just looked at my female and realized she had excreted, so I got the mouse and dropped him in there as an offering to Her Highness... not the jumbo rats she's used to, but she took him anyway. Since she's about 1900-2000g and just got a measley mouse, is it still okay to feed her her rat in a few days?

[rabernet]

Okay, I'll not handle him and try again in a week. I just looked at my female and realized she had excreted, so I got the mouse and dropped him in there as an offering to Her Highness... not the jumbo rats she's used to, but she took him anyway. Since she's about 1900-2000g and just got a measley mouse, is it still okay to feed her her rat in a few days?

Yes

The enclosure sounds a little big and he may not feel secure. I'd try to fill it up with more hiding places, etc.

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[DestinyLynette]

I'll try that as well. Although he only ever stays in the one, the cave on the cool side. He's never gone inside the other ones, or stayed on the warm side for an extended period of time.