Make sure you thaw the rodent in a bag that doesn't leak and after it is thawed take a hair dryer and heat the head up for a couple minutes and while your heating the head make sure your blowing toward her cage screen/vent. This will get it in feeding mode and a hot head let's the snake know where the food is and where to strike. The best hides IMHO are the reptile basics hides. If your snake is a younger bp get the medium. Do not get anything smaller than the medium bc the smalls are very tiny. Get 2 so your snake has identical hides for the hot and cool sides. They are very dark and secure. I use them now for all my bps and will for my future snakes.