Issues with Mice...

[Light of Dae]

I also agree with letting him go without food for at least twice as long as you normally do. Being a little extra hungry will not hurt him one bit. It will however make him less picky n more inclined to eat the new food. ...

lol My mom did that with me once, at lunch I didn't wanna eat the food. She said fine. I got leftovers for supper... lol It works.

[jitami]

Another thing you can try is to put one or two minnows or guppies if you can get them but since he's used to live let's just go with that for now and add a small thawed pinky or two to the water bowl with a couple of fish. As he's swimming and hunting he's very likely to accidentally grab the pinky. At that point he may spit it out the first couple of times, but should eventually switch over.

[Steveo]

You can also try taking a pair of scissors, cut up 2 or 3 minnows in like 3 pieces each, and do the same with the pinkies. Mix 'em up in a nice dish, and serve it on a platter.

This is how I did it with my scrubs... mixed fish and mouse parts for a few weeks, then stopped adding fish. Triggering the feeding response with fish seemed to get them going. Only a few times did one eat the fish but not the pinky parts.

Something you could try is letting the food sit somewhere nearby where they can smell it for a little while before feeding. I thaw pinkies in air on top of their cages for an hour or two and it seems like the scent gets them cruising around. Often they'll grab a piece before I even get them out of my hand and into their feeding containers.

[RedSidedSPR]

One of the best methods , imo

[RedSidedSPR]

I'm about to use the tactic I just mentioned on one of my babies, he won't eat pinkies. Only tried like 4 times but still

I'll record it.

[twgrosmick]

I'm about to use the tactic I just mentioned on one of my babies, he won't eat pinkies. Only tried like 4 times but still

I'll record it.

Agreed. For the most part I can rub the fish on the pinky chunk and make sure it is dipped in water (to simulate the wet slimy texture) and most of my babies who were problem feeders jump right on it

[EasternGirl]

I will agree with what everyone else has been saying...minnows are very bad...hoppers don't usually appeal to garters. The scenting and mixing might be the answer to getting the snake to eat the pinkies. I know you said you don't want to chop pinkies...but really, it is something that you get used to and if you do it when they are frozen...it isn't bad at all. Just make sure you thaw the pinky before feeding. Chopping is good because with a picky eater...sometimes the blood attracts the snake. You could wiggle the pinky around...or wiggle the pieces around...that sometimes helps if the snake is used to live food. And as was mentioned, there are safe kinds of live fish you can feed. You can also buy tilapia or trout fillet at the store...fresh, not frozen...and try feeding pieces of that. But I would still try to introduce other things like pinkies and worms into the diet. A varied diet is good for the snake.

[Light of Dae]

You could also put the pinkie(Chopped or not) with fish chunks/ mush in a dish with water and swish it back n forth to stimulate movement.

[RedSidedSPR]

Well it worked for me lol

[guidofatherof5]

Looks good.