How should i present new food

[Gerardo]

I recently got two BPs ( spider 136 grams and mojave 106 grams) and saturday is feeding day at my house and yesterday was the first time i tried feeding the new snakes. My normal male took his small rat instantly as usual. The breeder said both of the new snakes were eating live small mice but when i went to the pet store they only had adult mice so i decided to get rat pups. I watched them for about 20 minutes and they seemed interested but both just kind of slithered on top of the rat pups without striking (the spider struck once but missed and didnt try again). Before going to bed i put the rat pups in their hides on the warm side. Sometime during the night my spider male ate but my mojave didnt. I gave the uneaten rat pup to my 580 gram normal. I just wanted to know if changing from mice to rats had anything to do with my mojave not eating and if so is there a way i could present rat pups to get a stronger feeding response?

[rlditmars]

You may want to try scenting the rat by rubbing a dead mouse on it first. That may get him to take it and after a couple times he could switch over without the need to prescent. Just remember, some snakes may never switch, so have patience.

[Gerardo]

I think im going to ask them to put mice bedding in with the rat pups. Im going to wait until next saturday to try again. I hope he eats then.

[NormanSnake]

I think a rat pup may just be a little too big for that mojave. My baby is 120g and he is eating mice around 15-18g. There is no way I'd try and get him to take a rat pup. You might try going down to a fuzzy rat, then moving him up.