One thing I did and noticed a HUGE difference in the voracity of my snake was to thaw the rat in a Tupperware container with a lid in my refrigerator during the day and then, about 15 mins before feeding, take that tupperware container and put it on the screen of my cage. My snake smells the rat and starts going crazy (by crazy I mean clearly sniffing the air more). In doing that, my snake will barely lets the rat get lowered into the feeding cage before he is strangling the hell out of it. Let him get a whiff....