new hatchling wont eat :(

i picked up a hatchling from a new reptile store in town, i was told that this little guy refused his last meal but it was directly after he was put on display in the store so they assumed it was because he was taking a little longer to relax in his new set up. anyways ive had him since mothers day weekend and i still cant get him to eat! i let him settle in for a full week before attempting to hold him or feed him. so when Saturday came around i heated up a F/T pinkie super hot, put him in his deli cup and left him over night in his viv, got up in the morning to find the pink still there. I've read that hatchlings need to be fed every 5-7 days and today is day 5 so i tried again, this time "zombie walking" the pink around him ( thinking that if maybe it looked alive he's be more interested) again no luck. hes in a 20 gal long(i know too big) but hes got LOTS of ground cover,fake vines, 5 different hides and a water dish. his temps are holding steady at 85 on the warm end and anywhere from 70-74 on the cool end. so husbandry is right in the right range. any other ideas as to what i can do? and how long will he survive without food? he's going on 3 weeks already and im starting to get concerned. he's 45 grams as of right now (i weighed him before attempting to feed), i haven't weighed him previously so im not sure if hes lost any weight as of yet.

Not sure if I would call 45 grams a hatchling.

I'm fairly new to this, but I have never heard of 'heating up' a pinky - especially super hot, could burn the guy I would think.

I usually thaw mine in warm water for about 5 or 10 minutes. Until they don't feel cold and are kind of squishy. I put in a plastic bag while thawing to not wash away the smell.

You could try slit the pinkie in a few spots lengthwise.

Also, when you finally do get him feeding, at 45 grams should probably be up to fuzzies. 2 pinks at the very least, I would think.

hes 45 grams but VERY thin, i thought that you should feed 1-1.5 the width of the snake? a pink is about 1.5 times the width of him. i have slit the pink both times and by "heating up" i meant thawed the little bugger out in hot water till it was completely thawed and warm to the touch.

Must be really long then...

Well, like I say, i am not an expert, but my son's 27 gram corn is on 2 pinks and will probably go up to a small fuzzy soon. If you feel a fuzzy would be too big, I'd go with at least 2 pinks.

Do a search for the Munson plan, it is a good guideline for newbs like me in terms of what to feed at what snake weight.

Of course all this is moot if you can't get him to eat. I'd try the covered deli cup again. Though I think you are supposed to wait a couple of days after an unsuccessful feeding before trying again. Less stressful on the snake. Also try thaw in a Ziploc bag to avoid losing any of the smell.

Other than that, I am out of ideas.

Did you try to brain the pink? And he can definitely handle larger than a pinkie! I would keep trying with the pinks since he's being picky, but he can definitely eat big fuzzies at that weight.

I wonder, are you weighed him correctly. How old is he? Is he really a hatchling? My snake is 47 grams and about a year old. If he really is a hatchling and a pink is about 1.5 times width, I'd guess you've weighed incorrectly.

maybe my scale isn't working right dunno? here is a pic of him in the palm of my hand for reference

That probably looks about right for 45g. I'd say a pink is definitely less 1.5 times the width maybe even less that 1.0x. But again, moot at this point. Gotta get the fella eating. Maybe a small fuzzy would be more appealing....or maybe not.

Have you tried giving him a ride on the dryer? That's what got our non-feeder to eat.

Try rat scenting the pinky or feeding very small rat pinks, I have one 2 year old that won't touch a mouse at all, rats on the other hand he goes insane for. I have a few others that prefer rats as well