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I work with the closely related Stimson's pythons. The hatchlings can be difficult to start, because they don't always recognize the rodents as prey. They're looking for lizards. At four months old, your snake knows that mice are food. That's more than half the battle, in my opinion. When I have one that is difficult to start, here's what I do:
- I increase the temperature, and persistently tease-feed, as I described above.
- If that doesn't work, I try live pinkies. It sounds like you'll have to do this with f/t. Rinse the pinky off in warm water, to remove some of the rodent scent. Make sure it is warm, use a heat lamp if needed. Dip the head of the rodent in egg yolk, OR cut the skull open to expose the brains. Sometimes one works better than the other.
- Take a deli cup, and put a piece of paper towel on the bottom. This is to soak up any liquid ooze. Put the pinky and the snake into the deli cup.
- Place them in a warm part of the enclosure, and leave it overnight. Be aware of the temps; do not cook your snake!
- The snake is likely to eat within the hour, although some wait until the following morning. Some require several attempts.
Good luck. Once it starts eating, it is likely to eat heavily and grow quickly. This is not one of those species that you should try to "slow grow".
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