My husband bought Nagini from PetSmart as a Christmas gift as a 50g juvenile. She didn't eat for a full three months, no matter what we tried. After a few visits to the vet, we put her on the tube for a week and then got her eating live prey.

Once she took her first live fuzzy mouse, she never missed a feeding. She would nearly jump out of the tub the moment it was within striking distance. She's now 270g and easily eats small rats. I let her take the first one alive, after which I started knocking them out before feeding them to her. She would not act as excited about the knocked out ones, but would still take them.

A few feedings ago, I warm-water thawed and scented a small rat and presented it to her. She didn't act super enthusiastic but did end up taking it after a few seconds. I was thrilled and left her be for a few hours. When I came back to return her water dish to her tub (she tends to knock it over in the struggle), the rat was lying beside her. I removed it and returned it to the freezer. The next morning, Nagini had shed. I missed her blue eyes and didn't realize she was going into shed (she does so quickly and rarely gets to looking scruffy), so I figured this was why she "killed" without eating.

I asked the vet, who said I could try the same rat twice, so I thawed it again a few days later. Nagini sniffed but didn't strike. I tried again four days later a fresh f/t rat, and when she didn't take it I offered a live and kicking rat a few hours later which she jumped on without hesitation.

My niece and nephew were in town for Nagini's next feeding and I wanted to give them the educational experience of letting them see her take down live prey. The pet store was out of all but the largest rats, so I got two adult mice instead. I presented them to her, live, about an hour apart. She didn't hesitate to take either of them.

That was a week ago. Last night I attempted to feed her a f/t rat. I let it thaw at room temp before warming it hot water and rubbing it against the mouse droppings from the previous week. She sniffed but didn't take. She instead proceeded to do what my husband and I call "the hungry dance," pacing her cage, sniffing around, and tracking us with her eyes.

Long post, but I wanted to get the details down. Suggestions on how to proceed?