Switching from F/T Mice to Rats

[BHReptiles]

I have a 10 month old, 64g female ball python (yes, I know she's very small...she was a rescue animal and has been gaining weight since being in my care) who is currently eating F/T fuzzy mice every four days. I'm getting ready to bump her up to hopper mice but I ideally would like to switch her over to F/T rats. What would you suggest I do to make this transition? Here are the options I can think of:

1. Feed F/T mice --> live rats --> F/T rats
2. Feed F/T mice --> F/T rats
3. Feed F/T mice --> live mice --> live rats --> F/T rats
4. Feed F/T mice -->live mice --> F/T rats

I should also mention that she doesn't have much of a coil response. She generally just strikes and holds her mouse down on the substrate and then eats it. She never coils and constricts. That said, should I just try a F/T rat? I want to make this transition easy on her and I worry about adding live food into the equation when I know she doesn't coil around her already dead food. I don't want her to get hurt!

[Don]

When I switch them over to f/t, I usually try a rat pinky first. If that doesn't work, a mouse hopper. A few times with a hopper, then I go back to the rat pinky. So, I would say if she is ready for a mouse hopper, try a rat pinky instead.

[BHReptiles]

Do you try a F/T rat pinkie? or live?

[Don]

f/t pinky. If I'm converting over to f/t, I keep at it until they are either eating or losing weight. I don't go back and forth, unless there is some weight loss.

[BHReptiles]

Thank you for the advice! Fluffy is a very good eater for me. She's never refused a meal since she's been in my care. Hopefully she won't have any issues switching over.

[MorphMaster]

What I've heard work is take the f/t rat and roll it in some used mouse bedding. then she should take it and eventually respond to threats by themselves

[MrLang]

I read something that seemed like it could work.

Someone said to put a F/T mouse in a tupperware and stuck it in the cage with the snake. A few minutes later when it's all worked up you heat up the rat and zombie dance and it smells the mouse and sees the heat on the rat and takes it.

Worth a shot if simply offering the rat doesn't work.

[AdamF]

Just try FT rat pinky or pup, and see what happens. You only need tricks if that doesn't work, and it's more likely to work than not.

[mainbutter]

If I have a goal for what I want to feed an animal and it's an appropriate feeder size at that time:

I just offer it and see what happens.

My first ball python ever was raised on live mice for the first few months after hatching. I took her home, and for the next three feedings I duplicated what she was used to. Then the next feeding I offered a F/T rat of whatever size (probably a small rat), and she took it. It can be that easy, just make sure you follow all the generic tips for a successful feeding of potentially tricky snakes:

1) Feed just after dark
2) Feed prey warmed above room temp so that their heat pits can pick it up
3) Feed using tongs to separate your body temp from that of the feeder
4) Don't use excessive motion on your part which may make a snake hesitant to make itself vulnerable to a big predator

I have only had one animal I've taken multiple steps with, and that was a picky hognose (which are not exclusively rodent-feeders in the wild).