JBC86

Tuesday morning 10/17/17 I took delivery of a baby Hypomelanistic Tangerine Honduran Milk Snake. I put him in a 36x12x12 terrarium as a starter setup. I installed a ZooMed heat mat but I'm waiting on a thermostat so right now he's relying on an 50w "intense basking spot" in a mini-dome. The cheapo liquid crystal thermometers read 80/warm hide and 75/cool hide, but the infrared reads 86/73 degrees respectively. He stays in the warm hide except for a few minutes late at night.

I'm leaving him alone, no handling or disturbances for a week as instructed but Monday he'll be due for a meal. The breeder BHB Reptiles (Brian Barczyk) said he was on on fuzzies, but the pack I picked up at the store looks way too big for him, and the pinkies I got subsequently look too small.

Questions:
If I hold the warmed pinkie in the enclosure on long feeding tongs, will he smell it and come out? Or do I need to lift his hides to expose him? If I pick up his hides I assume he'll be panicked, so once he's out, how long do I wait for him to calm down to offer the thawed pinkie? If he does take it, do I offer two pinkies to make a full meal? If he refuses do I try again later or leave it in there? Thanks