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These are primarily lizard feeders in the wild and they vary in their willingness to eat mice. I've had several of these from Calif. for many years that took mice, and I currently have a Texas longnose that also takes mice, but it's not always an easy sell! An adult longnose does well eating 3-5 small fuzzy mice as opposed to one bigger mouse, so if you are buying your mice, it could be a more expensive snake to keep because of their small mouth. I have had the most success feeding frozen thawed, because most of the mouse odor is washed off when you thaw them in room temp. water before offering... You didn't say how big the snake is, but a larger (ie. older) longnose may be harder to reform than a young one. They are beautiful and docile snakes, but I agree with Alice: if it doesn't adapt in a few weeks I'd release it; also this time of year be sure you release it where you found it if possible, so it can safely hibernate. (they learn their way around...if you release it late in the year in new territory it may be a death sentence) Keep in mind also that because they prey on fellow reptiles, they can be heavily parasitized. I had one once that EAGERLY fed on mice, and too late I discovered that I was not only feeding the snake but also its parasites. ( it died) The longnose I have currently is also very shy about food...he likes to eat at nite, and he likes his food left outside the door of his hidebox, or on the roof of the hidebox. I use Carefresh and/or shredded paper for a substrate; if you use say shavings, you'll want to put his food on a small plate or bowl of some kind so he does not inadvertently swallow some substrate that could impact his digestive tract.
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