Alright guys, here is my very first "please help me with feeding" thread. I could use some advice on our Granite IJ. I picked her up right before Thanksgiving, and in the time we've had her she has only eaten twice, both F/T mouse fuzzies. The first time she struck at the mouse and ate, then she skipped a couple of weeks, and the second (final) time she ate the mouse was left in her cage. But that was quite a while ago.

I've had a lot of luck so far with being able to figure out quirks in eating styles with our snakes, but I cannot for the life of me figure out Bridget. She's lost some weight and doesn't have much she can lose (she is currently about 40 grams, down from about 50). She's starting to have a more pronounced triangular shape, not awful but noticeable. Enough to make me nervous, especially because she almost seems afraid of the prey item.

We offer once per week. I've tried a smaller fuzzy, a larger fuzzy. Have dipped in chicken broth. Have brained one. Have offered on tongs. Have left in cage. She always shows initial interest but ultimately backs away.

Husbandry: she's in a 12x18 ExoTerra, hot spot is 90, ambient is anywhere from 77-80. Only source of heat right now is an infrared lamp on a dimmer because she never touches the ground. There's a good heat gradient with a ton of plant cover and a hide (that she never uses). She flicks her tongue when a mouse approaches or if she's out exploring, which is hardly ever because of the not eating. Handling is kept to a bare minimum.

For some more background, our Bredli is from the same breeder, has the same environmental conditions, and is a garbage disposal - has never missed a meal.

My questions are these:

1) Can I or should I be doing something differently?
2) If she had more size on her I'd just accept the fast until she decided to eat. But I'm not comfortable with that route anymore, as it's been 2 small meals in 2 months. :/ With that being said, should I try live or should I attempt to assist feed? I'm not completely certain I'll be able to source local live mice that are small enough, which is why I'm wondering about assist feeding.

If I am able to find a live fuzzy (planning to go to the pet shop where I'll have the best chance getting one once the roads clear), what do I do with it if she doesn't eat it? I have not yet had to feed live. All our other snakes are on F/T. If she won't eat it I do not want to in any way be cruel to the mouse.

Sor for the lengthy post, and thank you in advance for your help!

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