I had a snake years ago that I got for my birthday. He was a ribbon snake. He died 3 years ago. Last Tuesday, I was coming home from school and I was about to pull my car in the garage but my brother told me to stop. There was a snake in the garage. I picked it up and brought it inside. We put it in a plastic container so I could show it to my mom. She is a biology professor, so I thought she would want to see it. We decided to keep it because it was very young and we didn't want it to take it's chances in the winter, so we gathered up all of the old things from my previous snake, and he had a new home. The next day, we picked up what my old snake used to eat. Rosie Red minnows. He wouldn't eat them, so we decided to just let him take his time. Days passed now, and he still hasn't eaten anything. I keep seeing him burrow into the mulch so it seems like he is looking for worms, but we gave him worms too and he didn't want them. I have read in numerous places that he is stressed about his relocation, but the thing is if he didn't want to eat, why does he keep burrowing. I just want some help. It has been just under a week since we found him, and we don't know when the last time he ate was when he was in the wild. I would just like some advice. My old ribbon snake never did this, but then again he was lab born from a breeder, so he was probably never very stressed about a climate change. If anyone wants any information, he is about a foot long. We do have a heating light directly over a flat rock so he can heat on once he needs to digest. We have a few logs, and a coconut with a door cut into it so he can go in there. He sleeps in there by the way. We do have a waterbowl for him, about 6x6 in inches. We use small wood chips for his tank. I also think he is a very friendly snake. I've caught baby garter snakes before with my bare hands, but they bit me once or twice. This one didn't even show interest in biting. Right now there are 3 rosie reds in his bowl. Sometimes he hovers his neck and head over the water, looking down at the fish. I always hope in vein that he is getting ready to strike, but then it seems like he loses interest and goes away. Sometimes he goes underwater and goes everywhere underwater. He isn't showing signs of pain though, he roams his tank all day. Is he sick? I'm just worried about him. It could be that he is stressed from need of skin shedding, but hold up. He has beautiful colors right now, and usually, my old snake's eyes would get cloudy when he was shedding, so I don't think he needs to shed. I think the most likely thing is that he is stressed from his new home, but that still doesn't explain why he keeps burrowing, looking for worms. (I assume.) If he is stressed, what can I do to make him eat? Is it possible that he will never eat and eventually pass away? I very much do not want that to happen. I love animals a lot, and snakes are my favorite animal.

Things I would like to know,
Am I feeding him the right thing
Why is he burrowing
How long can he stay hungry

Thanks so much to anyone that can help me. I don't want him to die because of this.