Feeding issues

[Vipera Berus]

I have a feeding issue. I would like to get some advice about converting my little Bp Chimera back to rats. For some reason for slightly over a month she has totally refused rats and wont touch them but as soon as I offer a mouse she grabs it and consumes it. I have tried to get her to eat multiple mice but she wont touch the second. I have tried scenting the rats and she shows interest and still wont touch them. I rubbed the rat lightly for a second with the mouse and that's caused her to show more interest than has been the last 2-3 attempts with rats. My questions are thusly what method is advisable for scenting the rat with a mouse smell should I use?

I have found that a plastic bag in warm water until defrosted and then heating with a hairdryer has worked for the mice but doesn't seem to work for any size rat for her anymore. She weighed 241grams straight after shedding and a poop where she also refused to eat while in blue. I have offered 12gram rats and 12gram mice only after she refused 30 - 36 gram rats so far the 12 gram mice are the only food she has touched in a month.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated since I cannot easily obtain larger than 12 gram mice and the next option is 28 gram rats. If at all possible I would prefer to feed her the rats since they are a more appropriate size.

[redshepherd]

What works best for me is going to a pet store and asking for a bag of dirty substrate from their mice enclosure (used substrate, poop and stinky and all) because it's filled with mouse scent... It would be a free bag of the stuff of course... And then get your thawed rat and roll it around inside the dirty substrate bag to coat it with the scent. Warm it and offer again, and the BP should have a much higher chance of taking it for the thick scent and heat.

Wrote this recently on another thread!

[Vipera Berus]

Ah cheers I had heard about that for total feeding refusal and using gerbil litter. I now feel like total plonker for not having tried that with mouse litter. Right now time to find the nearest place that sells live mice.