(TW: written gore) Difficult BP + Horrifying Nightmares: What next?

[Bogertophis]

Smake has demonstrated great fear when exposed to tongs. I don't use them at all with him. I place the rat on a little "rock" dish that is on the hot side so it's not too cold. I've always placed the rat on something flat for him to take at his own pace. Mimicking life has also scared him in the past. I tried feeding him a live mouse in years past but he didn't take it and instead hid from it. He has always had little to no response to food. He has never struck at food and never coiled around food, only slowly taken meals inch by inch down his throat until he's done. It is an extraordinarily slow process for him. He used to stick his head out of his cave or roam around the tank, but that's never been a reliable indicator for me if he was ready to eat or not. I say "used to" because, since moving here, we no longer sleep in the same room, so I don't catch glimpses of him at 2-4am anymore when I wake up at night. I may go downstairs before bed tonight to see if he's up and out, but he generally gets active in the wee hours of morning when us diurnal folk are most quiet.

Is it possible you put way too much motion into wiggling the prey when trying to feed with tongs? Because that will scare many snakes (especially one that had bad experiences with live prey, maybe even before you got him?) if you don't do it just right. I find it hard to believe he's actually afraid of the tongs- snakes don't tend to notice such things at all. BPs rely on their heat sensing pits, so it's more likely he's afraid of your nearby hand (or specifically the heat signature) that's holding the tongs.

Also (when using tongs) never approach the snake with the prey. Instead make it appear to cluelessly pass by, just out of reach wherever the snake is hiding, & keep the motions very slight & subtle. In the wild, no rodent is going to approach a snake & volunteer to be eaten. Such bold activity does scare some snakes, especially shy BPs.