Female BP Not Eating :(

[partlybella]

Hey guys,

My 2.5(ish) year old female butter ball python, named Koshi, has decided to go on a hunger strike. I don't have the exact date of her last meal recorded, but it was sometime in January. When I got her (very young), the breeder told me she was eating F/T, which I later found out that she was NOT and despite months of attempting to switch to F/T, she would not adjust besides the one time she reluctantly took a F/T mouse. From then on, I've been feeding live or fresh kill, which is not EVER my first preference, but it's the only thing she'll accept and I can't let her starve. I have noticed in the months before she went on strike that she was definitely spooked by the mice/rats I'd give her. It's been taking longer and longer for her to strike. In the times I've tried to feed her during this hunger strike, she's seemed very interested but backed off at the last second and returned to her hide. There was a week or two when I was wondering if she was maybe ovulating, and that's why she was refusing food, but to be honest, I'm relatively unfamiliar with the hormonal/breeding behaviors of snakes, so I'm not sure if that's remotely accurate.

I finally just bought some frozen rats to keep on hand to continue attempting to feed her without having to deal with a (live) uneaten rat every couple weeks. Before this, she ate pretty much every 2 weeks. The only change she has experienced is a move across country, but that was nearly 6 months ago. I've upgraded one of her hides and her water bowl in the last month, but they were both to something she was actually more familiar with. Heating pad/humidity/cool side has all been very regular, basically from the moment I had her. I used to have a small UV light to turn on during the day to help simulate day light (not for basking) but I don't have that anymore - maybe it could be a messed up circadian rhythm? She was always particular to eating in the evening.

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions for encouraging a stubborn girl to eat F/T, or just... eat. Not as familiar with F/T as it's been literally years since I've attempted thawing, and Koshi definitely broke my confidence on the thawing process with the amount of rats that she turned down.

Feel free to reply or PM. Just need advice <3