if the snake was interested try dipping it in chicken brother or water thats near boiling.
get it nice and hot. sounds liek its having a hard time identifying it from its suroundings. it can smell it but they require the thermal image as well to put two and two togeather and then ding the food light goes off in there head.
2 things wrong with this, HOT water, can cook the rodent, Snakes cant digest cooked meat properly. Second, near boiling water is hot, and can burn the snake. Warm water is all thats needed, definately not HOT, especially not near Boiling.