Hello guys & gals!

First post, so please forgive my ignorance. My banana pastel is eating live, very well,
every 7-10 days. My local pet store didn’t have any mice that I thought were big enough. So I bought a small rat.

my question: (hold back your laughs?)

1. He didn’t take the rat. He acted scared of it. He’d bump the rat with his snout several times then jerk back like he was scared. Do rats smell different than mice?

2. What’s the best way to transition to frozen/thawed?

thanks so much!