BE THANKFUL that your snake will now eat f/t peacefully when 'drop-fed', & yes, many snakes DO get hesitant to take live prey after such battles, & if you care about your pet, you'll be feeding f/t (or freshly killed) rodents whenever possible, to avoid injuries to your snake. Wild snakes have no choice but to do battle or they starve, & sooner or later most get injured. Besides unsightly physical damage (like missing eyes & scars) injuries often result in infections which are hard to fight & which can also kill your snake. Vet care isn't cheap either, & antibiotics have to be given for a while or they don't work...what I'm saying is that it's MUCH easier to keep a pet snake healthy, than it is to help them regain their health...injuries are best prevented for our pets, OK?Be glad your snake is now cautious, but still feeding OK. (some snakes refuse to eat rats at all after an injury or battle)