We got my son a baby BP (DOB july '24) a month ago now and she still wont eat F/T mice. I’ve tried all the things I can think of… leave her alone, keep it dark, warm with a hair dryer, try when shes out of her hiding. She’s shown 0 interest. Barely even a tongue lick. I’ve tried a couple days between attempts and I’ve tried a week between attempts. Do I keep trying F/T? Do I give in and try live? Her tank temp/humidty is closely monitored throughout the day. Plenty of hiding areas and basking spot… all the things, just won’t eat. Please send all advice. Thank you!
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My two BP’s had to have their meals really hot before they sensed it was a prey item.
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Hi and welcome to the community 
As @spottedbull says, Some of mine need it really hot the first time. If I have trouble with a hatchling getting started I use about 40C or just over hot water.
All my snakes are only offered F/T
Have you checked what it was eating before? If it only ate rats it might not know the smell of mice is food.
What is the temperature at the point the snake is at?
Just a thought but it might be cooler in the hide than on top if that’s the basking spot. I set the temperature where the snake is most of the time, on the floor.
Also whats your set up. Vivarium, wood or glass, or tub, and cover situation
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Was just about to mention what @ascended just did. Was it on Mice Or rats from your local reptile shop you got your BP from?
When I got my ball python it was being given Live mice at the reptile store I got her from.
I wanted to switch her to rats because from everything I read and heard rats were just better nutrient wise for her. But she was not interested at all the first time. And I was trying to switch her from live to F/T.
So I went and got one last Live mouse. And I put the F/T rat in the container with the live mouse so that it can get its scent all over it. And my snake went for it and now I haven’t had problems with getting her to go for the F/T Rats.
And also, this was something I was concerned with as well before i decided to get my BP. From everything I’ve read and researched from owners to breeders and everything in between, its normal for some BP to go off food for a while as long as they’re not getting to a point where they’re sickly thin and way underweight
I would personally start with making sure yours temps are good, and making sure from the store you got your BP what it was being fed. It might have been being fed Live and it does not want to eat F/T 
good luck! I’m sure you’re going to come to an answer soon. The good thing is that this community deeply loves Reptiles and we’re all gonna offer support to help haha. So you’re not alone.
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To start off, what are your temperature and humidity readings in the enclosure (temps for hot spot, warm side, and cool side)? And what is your enclosure setup like (what type and size enclosure, substrate, hides, decor, etc.)? If you can post a picture of your enclosure, that would be extra helpful. This information will just help us to troubleshoot what the issue might be.
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As others have said, you might want to get the prey item pretty warm (no less than 100°F as rodents have much higher body temps), I’d also try for a F/T rat pup instead of mice. Rats are much more nutrient rich than mice and are closer to the BP’s natural diet. I’d try feeding at night as well since they are naturally nocturnal and leave it overnight. Leave the prey item infront of the entrance to the BP’s most favored hide, they are ambush hunters and might feel more inclined to eat if their prey is by where they like to stay. Do not try to feed them constantly, give at least a week between each feeding attempt until you notice weight loss. If all else fails you might want to try a live rat pup, a good way to transition BP’s from live to f/t is to offer them a small live meal and put a similar size f/t meal in as well- at least in my experience this has worked the best.
If your BP begins to lose a significant amount of weight it will be time to take it to a vet to get evaluated, common things that can cause lack of appetite in snakes are parasites or stress. A veterinarian that is well experienced with exotics like snakes will be able to properly guide you in the right direction on what to do next.
The reason I’m not going with the “BP’s will go off of food sometimes” thing is that your BP is a baby, going off feed when they are young is not very common unless their regular diet or environment has been disrupted. If you got the BP from a petstore the likelihood that they were feeding live to begin with is high, and a lot of BP’s are very sensitive to changes like that.
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Your baby ball python probably doesn’t feel safe enough to eat in its new environment. It came from a small breeder tub more than likely, where it felt secure. Also you might be offering food too often. Once every 6 to 7 days is best because you don’t want to stress out your snake even more
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Thank you all for the feedback. Here’s a picture of my setup. Not the best picture with the lighting right now but she has a half log to hide in and the rock. The rock is her favorite. There’s a couple fake plants and 2 other logs to climb on and bask. Water dish is in the back corner. Basking spot stays right around 88° and the cooler side is usually around 78°. Humidity can range between high 40s to mid 70s. Cypress mulch at the bottom with some sphagnum moss in a few spots to help with humidity.
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Nice set up.
e.g in the hides.
Also are you using that round thing in the top right to measure temperatures.
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I have 2 thermometers/humidity gauges. The round one in the back right corner on the glass and a digital one on the left side on the bottom.
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The thermometer on the right will give a temperature that is hotter than the floor as heat rises, also it looks near a light which will raise it more.
Have you tried the digital one in the hides to see what it is where the snake is most of the time?
Its the hot end hide thats most important
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Tons of great advice, tips and tricks already given above! It’s probably a lot to take in and figure out what to try next, but what worked for my new baby who wouldn’t eat was getting a latching tub enclosure that was smaller than my original 20 gallon tank, Sterilite brand from Walmart. I set up his hides, bowl, bedding, etc. and used a heat mat and thermostat and whatnot. Once he settled in, I offered and he immediately took his meal. I kept him in this tub for 2 or 3 more meals, transitioned him back into his tank, and he’s been a consistent eater for years now.
Sounds like he’s in good hands with you as a caring owner. You’re in the right place for support any time you need it.
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When your heating up your f/t animal to feed are you temping the animal? If so, what temp are you getting to before offering to feed? If not temping, I’d recommend getting a temp gun and making sure the prey is between 110 - 112 degrees.
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@akmorphs makes a good point. when I started to use a temperature gun to measure the food temperature, I noticed I wasnt heating the food long enough to get up to temperature.
A temperature gun would also be good to get temperature’s in the hides.
I still think they might be too low there as the thermometer is half way up the tank
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