Hey guys, sorry to keep resurrecting an old thread, just looking for a bit more advice here.

He's been doing great. He had a pretty good shed. He did retain some on his head, but that's probably because I caught it late, and he did manage to get the rest off in a day or two. He's starting to come out of his hide at night. It doesn't look like he's trying to escape or anything, just cruises around for a bit, grabs a drink, chills on top of hides, and eventually goes back to bed. I was really hoping this would mean he would eat, so I've tried feeding him twice now since he's shed. He'll approach the mouse and flick his tongue at it a bit, but then he ignores it and goes about his business. I figure he's probably just not hungry yet, but i just want to make sure I'm going about it right.

I try feeding him at night, when he's already out and looking around. I even keep the lights in the room off. I'm feeding him f/t fuzzy mice. I turn the hot water on in the tap and let it run until it's as hot as it will get and that's what i thaw the mice in. I tend to leave it in there to warm up and to pre-scent the room for him. I remove it once the water is a little warmer then room temperature and dry the mouse off as best i can. Using feeder tweezers I grab it by the tail or by the scruff of the neck and wiggle it in front of him for a bit. Each time i've tried for about five minutes and then given up, not wanting to stress him out too much. He's my only snake so I usually stick them back in the freezer afterwards, though both times I've fed him i've tried a different mouse, just to be sure.

Am I doing it right? How long should I wait before I start worrying? If he doesn't eat in a month or so should I switch to live? I know ball pythons are notoriously picky eaters, I just want to make sure he's being picky and I'm not doing something wrong.