Ball pythons really do MUCH better with warm prey. They seem to rely much more on their heat pits than eyesight for hunting. The one time I let a prey item thaw too long, it cooled off to room temp, and my girl struck and missed 4 times when I offered it to her(stupid me should have warmed it up again right away). She could smell it and was hungry, but had a hard time figuring out where to strike.

I went and gave it a quick warm water bath, and returned to feed again, and BAM she struck and coiled no problem.

This is another reason to feed using tongs. We're warm blooded, and our hands can look more like warm prey than the thawed food item we are offering if you feed by hand.