One sort of random question... I've heard of scenting a rat with mouse smell to get a snake to switch to rats... but does anyone do that preemptively? Like, this week offer a mouse as usual but smear some rat smell on it, and then next week try a rat with some mouse smell, and then after that just a rat?

The BP I had years ago was pretty much never a problematic eater; occasionally he'd refuse a meal, but never more than one or two and then he'd go right back to it without any trouble. His only real bit of finicky-ness was that live or dead, he wouldn't take any prey that wasn't dangling by its tail. I guess I started doing that when he was a baby and he just learned that that's what food does. He was also pretty confident and bold for a BP... not much really fazed him, but live mice running around his cage (only happened if I dropped them accidentally) totally freaked him out.

So now I have a new baby at home who hasn't eaten for me yet. We're coming up on a week on Wednesday, so I'll try feeding him then. He seems to be settling in a bit more, so I hope he'll take it. I have no reason to think he won't, but after the trauma of losing my 18-y/o albino corn recently, we have turned into a couple of mother hens about our new boy. I've been told he's eaten f/t at least once, but I would love any tips about maximizing our chances on the first try, beyond leaving him alone beforehand, offering in the evening with the lights down low, and braining the (thawed) mouse first.