Please Help, Me and My Baby Ball are Desperate

[traveling_classicist]

I appreciate the helpful advice from you all. Here are some photos of her:
This was the day I brought her home. The tank was not fully set up so ignore it. I used coconut substrate for the first week I had her until I realized that was what was stuck in her mouth.




This photo was taken a few days ago


This is her tank today (ignore the dials in the back, I don't use them, they're now just crappy decoration)


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To bcr229: No, her undertank heat pad is not regulated with a thermostat.

Sonny1318 makes a good point about boopin her on the nose with her food. I stopped doing that after she reacted rather strongly by jerking her head away. I have tried gently rubbing it on her side as well but didn't get much of a reaction beyond her tensing. I do keep them warm. I defrost them in warm water and periodically take them away to warm them in my hands when they've been there for a while. But it makes sense that even if I did that, if she doesn't register them as food or they're too small for her heat pits to sense that she still wouldn't strike.

pretends2bnormal: what a cutie! I hope she's doing much better now! I'm a little concerned about her food hurting her but if these babies aren't much of an issue at that age than I feel a little better about trying to feed her live in the near future.

I think after hearing what you all have said, I'm definitely going to move her up food sizes. I think I'll first try a f/t fuzzy or hopper. The place I get my feeders from is pretty cool and they'll let me see the feeders first to see their size. I'll see what they've got and go from there. If she doesn't eat that, then I may try a live fuzzy and see how she does with it.

Thank you all for your gentle responses. I don't regret for a second getting her, even though things may be a little "difficult" right now. I didn't really expect it to be easy given her state when I got her. I hesitate to say I "rescued" her but I'm pretty certain she would have died at Petco and that's a terrible thought to me. I want to take care of her and give her a good life. I think she deserves it.

[gunkle]

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....I do keep them warm. I defrost them in warm water and periodically take them away to warm them in my hands when they've been there for a while. But it makes sense that even if I did that, if she doesn't register them as food or they're too small for her heat pits to sense that she still wouldn't strike......

So I wonder if you are maybe getting too much of your sent on the food item by warming it in your hands. Not sure I would want the little one to associate my sent with food. I could be wrong though as I am getting back into snakes after a decade off. It is commonly recommended to use a hair dryer to warm up pray items before offering. I have a 6 month old that is only a few weeks with us that acts afraid of the rats and has only struck out once and I think it was a defensive strike and not a food strike. I leave it on a fake leaf after doing the zombie dance for a minute and then a quick re-heat with hair dryer in front of his hide about 6 inches. So far he has eaten 2 within an hour or so after we leave with all lights off.

[Bogertophis]

So I wonder if you are maybe getting too much of your sent on the food item by warming it in your hands. Not sure I would want the little one to associate my sent with food. I could be wrong though as I am getting back into snakes after a decade off. It is commonly recommended to use a hair dryer to warm up pray items before offering. I have a 6 month old that is only a few weeks with us that acts afraid of the rats and has only struck out once and I think it was a defensive strike and not a food strike. I leave it on a fake leaf after doing the zombie dance for a minute and then a quick re-heat with hair dryer in front of his hide about 6 inches. So far he has eaten 2 within an hour or so after we leave with all lights off.

Good catch, gunkle! Many snakes DO notice* though I'm not sure that BPs will or not. Still, it's best to avoid any scent confusion. If anything, it won't likely teach a
BP to consider you as dinner...it will only make them refuse the rodent because it smells "wrong". Blow-dryer is a much better way to heat up rodents.

*I had a rat snake that I could hand-feed, but she'd only take it if I held it between my thumb & forefinger, sticking out a little ways. If I had it on the flat palm of my
hand, she could smell it but she got too much of my scent also to take a chance, lol. You cannot depend on most snakes to be that careful- FYI that was a Trans Pecos,
a typically mellow snake from the desert southwest & one of my favorite kinds...they have excellent vision too.

[indygunnerguy]

I feel ya there...I read and read and read some more before I bought mine three weeks ago and thought I knew what I was getting into...totally wrong! There is so much more to husbandry that I never even heard mentioned in all the stuff that I read. I'm so glad I found this forum! Everyone here so far has been super helpful and extremely knowledgeable.

[traveling_classicist]

Just to keep everyone updated, Pythia has now eaten for the third time all by herself. She seems to be doing great and I'm so appreciative of everyone's help on here!

[Bogertophis]

Just to keep everyone updated, Pythia has now eaten for the third time all by herself. She seems to be doing great and I'm so appreciative of everyone's help on here!

Happy Dance! Way to go!

[Bodie]

Just to keep everyone updated, Pythia has now eaten for the third time all by herself. She seems to be doing great and I'm so appreciative of everyone's help on here!

Congratulation. Sounds like that noodle was lucky you found her. Good job!

[CNorris]

Just to keep everyone updated, Pythia has now eaten for the third time all by herself. She seems to be doing great and I'm so appreciative of everyone's help on here!

You'll have to share another picture here soon!