Quote Originally Posted by elevenphoenix View Post
I was told to start feeding my baby BP hoppers so I tried that, but she acted like she was terrified of the hopper so I had to remove him and let him free outside lol.
not to get too off topic, but this is an incredibly poor practice. domestically bred rats and mice do not belong outside. they can pass diseases and parasites back and forth to wild rodent populations, among other things.

if a reptile dosen't eat a live rodent you have a few much more acceptable options:

- take the rodent back to the store, assuming they will take the rodent back
- hold onto the rodent until the next feeding attempt
- rehome the rodent to a pet home
- give the rodent to another snake of yours (assuming the originally fed snake was not in quarantine)
- give the rodent to a friend who also owns reptiles who can feed it off.

hope this can help!

and to the OP

I had a baby who i picked up who had NEVER fed before i got her (brand new hatchling). I have her in a 15q tub. I first offered her a live small adult mouse/big hopper mouse. It took her about 45 minutes but she finally got the idea. The important thing for her was the movement. After 2 live feedings I successfully switched her over to F/T. It is do-able, dont worry.

I'd recommend a quality thermostat and a plastic enclosure. 6q or 15q tubs are great. Flexwatt or an UTH are good heaters. If you're looking for a good, affordable thermostat a Johnson Controls or Ranco wont burn your bank too much and they're more reliable than a dimmer.

make sure the enclosure is in a low traffic area that isnt disturbed. give her some time to settle in, and try offering a live hopper.