New Corn - inconsistent / difficult eater

[Bogertophis]

I know zilch about corns, so I reviewed the forum's caresheet for them. It said, "Juvenile corns seem to do well in smaller enclosures that make them feel more secure; a small snake in a big cage can become overwhelmed & stressed." So, maybe you should consider a smaller enclosure.

Since she's acting like a hatchling, it might be a good idea to start over & treat her like one. When I hatched out corn snakes (& some of them were awful eaters for a while too) they were raised in "shoebox size" polycarbonate containers w/ ventilated tops (-made for pets- they used to called them "Critter Cottages" etc.). I lined the floor w/ paper towel, then shredded several paper towels for substrate, & layered another paper towel most of the way over the shreds, & held that in place with a small water bowl, so they could weave in & out of the shreds (like leaf litter would be outside) & feel very well hidden. Small hides or cardboard rolls can be added too. Just kept everything low-key until they had a good feeding record, then they moved up to bigger "apartments".

Another option I endorse (& have used for various colubrids, esp. kings): https://beanfarm.com/products/herpatat-hide-out-small (And you did say she liked the black container?)

In this case, the water bowl sits in the recessed area on top- you can put lots of fluff (shreds or crumpled pieces) inside the hide, & when you feed the snake, just leave it near the edge of the hole at night- the snake will feel safe & hidden enough to grab it & eat where they feel safe.

Either way, when snakes get braver & used to eating with humans around (& most eventually learn to eat from tongs -corns are usually great feeders) their housing can change with their "maturity" & skills.

Has this snake ever been fed live pinkies? I would certainly try that- just to get her feeding. Most of the snakes I've raised had live first, just to help establish their recognition of prey. After that, some will accept f/t right off, otherwise when they're big enough to eat say 2 pinkies, you give them one live + one f/t- they usually make the leap easily, & you can feed all f/t once they've had several meals that way- you've taught them to recognize f/t prey. Maybe she was rushed to f/t & never got a good transition- snake have to follow their instincts first, & then learn to generalize.