Ball python won't eat (yes I read the pinned posts)

[waymire01]

Bought a pastel spider morph at a herp convention last fall. He's a juvenile about 16". Physically he's a bit thin, not terrible considering it's been months since he has fed, and otherwise in good shape and active. Can't get him to eat. I own five others of various colors.. some I've had for many years. Two adults, two "teens" and two juveniles including the spider. Got them all as juveniles some younger than him. They are all 100% healthy and currently eat every feeding with only the occasional issue.. never go more than one missed feed. Temp and humidity are fine and we never have shedding problems, they are also soaked weekly. Including a pied I bought at the same time as my non eater who had no issues whatsoever. I've dealt with feeding issues in the past (strike and miss, strike wrap and give up, spit out half way, regurgitation, picky eaters that will only eat certain colors or sizes, snakes that insist on their food being blown dry, ones that will only eat in a hide, I have one that has to be hooked out of the main tank and jumps out of the feeding box like she's spring loaded to strike her rat, etc) but nothing I've tried works.. it's like he doesn't see the rodent as food. I've only had one successful feed with him, in feeding box, nasty store bought frozen mouse, three feedings after I bought him. I've tried frozen mice of different sizes, frozen rats (home grown) of different sizes and colors, and live pups of different sizes and colors. Tried feeding box, feeding in tank alone, leaving live or frozen in with him in tank alone overnight.. even tried putting him in a paper bag with it overnight (came back to him curled up with the rat pup both asleep lolol). Tried every wiggle trick I know, dangling, sliding them in on the ground.. he wants nothing to do with it. I house my balls communally in a very large tank with felt substrate, two large heat pads, basking lights day and night on both sides, a pond, a collection of resin branches and a cement hide which they love to shed against... they are happy as they could be. They are very social with each other including the non eater and have never shown any aggression toward each other. He's also fine with humans, non aggressive and friendly. I tried giving him his own tank but he simply sulked in the corner as close as he could get to the other tank, refused to go in the hide or to the warm side. I tried putting him in the hide to feed him manually but he just leaves and goes back to his corner. Tried putting the hide in the corner and he smashed himself between it and the glass... and he still wouldn't eat no matter where he was. After reading all the pinned posts and some of the links within here, I put him in a very small plastic box, with shavings to bury, and a hide, and a water dish, with the sides blacked out with paper.. in the empty tank so I could stick a corner on the heat pad and so nothing and no one would bother him, and no lights. Haven't touched him in over a week other to peek in make sure he had water and was planning to attempt a feed tomorrow. Went to water him today and part of him was sticking out and looked bad so I took him out and found a severely dehydrated snake who had completely failed to shed.. soaked him and peeled him and put him back in the main tank where he snugged up under a mature female and hasn't budged since. I was suspicious about the substrate but that was what was suggested. Poor guy, I felt terrible.. like he needed that on top of everything else. Any suggestions would be appreciated.. I read somewhere to dip the prey in chcken broth.. about the only thing I haven't tried. Did this work for anyone and do you offer it wet or dry after dipping? At this point I will try anything.