take a mouse sook it in water still defrosted run it under hot water for about 20 secones take tongs clip it to the tail and wiggle in front of face are rub it on the nose it works for me

In my personal experience having bought a few Ball Pythons that we're still USED TO LIVE FOOD,

It's a process (some might take take longer to convert than others) but this is what I do:

I offer my F/T Rodents, previously dipped in warm/room temperature water and wiggle it in their bin slowly to give the effect of a LIVE Rodent..

Also, Sometimes cracking the skull of the rodent using pliers or whatever creative tool you have to allow your snake to smell the rodent better is also very helpful in introducing your snakes to F/T ! 

Sorry, didn't mean to confuse you...I meant just WARM WATER, like slightly warmer than you..

It allows their heat pits to see the food better and make them think it's LIVE...and don't forget to wiggle it around  w/ the tail clipped to your feeding tong!  Again, sometimes cracking the skull using of the rodent helps your snake smell the food better too! 

Also note, some snakes might also be picky eaters so sometimes letting them eat inside their hides help a bunch,esp. when converting them to F/T...other people use little Deli cups (for smaller snakes) w/ the sides completely covered so that their snakes don't get nervous around you...QUITE/NON BUSY ROOMS are always best for ANY kind of feeding: LIVE or F/T so that snakes don't get confused &/or nervous easily.

Pretty much all my snakes were live feeders before they came to me.  I just warm them in hot water and offer.  The one juvenile who didn't switch right away didn't like it wet.  So I heat with a blow dryer for that one.  I had a fussy baby too so I'd feed the first meal live and then the second thawed. The next time it took the f/t right away. Like jax I would also brain them but I used a nail in the head.  I find that if you offer a meal too often the snake will get used to the offerings and the urgency for feeding is lost.  I would keep trying once a week. Eventually the snake will eat when it needs to.  Good luck!

It's generally quite easy to switch young ball pythons away from feeding live. One of the simplest ways to ensure that it goes smoothly is to not attempt feeding until the animal has had some time to settle in to its new environment – generally a week. This gives it time to be less startled by you and it will feel less stressed in its enclosure. It also makes it more interested in food, of course.

If it is a baby, it is most likely feeding on hopper mice. If you're not sure, ask the breeder and then buy frozen mice that are the same size as whatever live mice it is eating. It's a good idea just to get enough to last a few weeks, because after the snake has accepted frozen/thawed mice, you'll want to switch to frozen rats for better growth and less problems down the road.

Place the frozen mouse in a container of cold water and let it thaw until the body is limp when grabbed with tongs, or if you're less squeamish you can touch it. Then place it in warm water to bring up the body temperature; for a hopper I do this for a minute or so. Then dip the head of the mouse in hot water for a few seconds and you're ready to feed. Making the head hotter than the rest of the body causes it to appear alive to the snake as this recreates a brain's heat signature. It also gives the snake somewhere to target. I credit this step as the reason I have never had a ball python that refuses frozen/thawed food.

Feed at night if you can. Grab the rodent by the scruff of the neck with tongs/hemostats and move it along the bottom of the snake's tub slowly until it shows interest and grabs it. Don't dangle it or go too fast. If the snake doesn't show interest, you can leave it in overnight and it will usually take it. If not, discard the mouse the next morning and wait two days before attempting again, but this time, like jax and ILuvBalls said, make a hole in the rodent's head to 'brain' it and the odor will entice most snakes.

You should have no problems, but if you do, try drying the prey, moving the snake to a different environment like a dark tub/box for feeding, or try a rat pinky instead of a mouse hopper. Also make sure your temps and humidity are correct and constant. Good luck!

As mentioned, some are fussier than others. The ideal is tricking the snake into thinking it's eating live. I've had to use blow dryer trick to appear dry, live and warm. Also some need you to not let go and wait until they wrap for the kill so they don't notice it's already dead and let go. Once eating a couple times start cutting back on tricks.

I would like to thank all who replied to magzen5 for my question about feeder mice. It helped with my decision on purchasing a Ball Python.

Thanks Rick