Allright, so after quite a while of reading a ton of different threads on switching a bp from live to frozen, I thought it would be helpful to try and compile it all into one thread for the sake of everyone else. Hopefully I can write it well enough and we can all get a good sticky out of it. First and foremost, I just want to let everyone know, this has none of my personal experience, as I am not a very experienced keeper and my one bp is still eating live. With that said, lets begin.

Why switch to frozen thawed?

There are a few really good reasons to switch. The two biggest are that it is safer for the snake, and typically easier/cheaper for the keeper. Live prey can potentially harm the snake by biting, scratching etc. Also, f/t is often offered on tongs (as can live), which means the snake will be striking more less into the air, lessening the chance of getting a mouthful of substrate. This can be particularly nice for display tank users who want to use Aspen or some other potentially dangerous but nice looking substrate.

So I want to feed frozen thawed, but my bp wont take it!

Your bp does not associate the f/t prey as being actual prey, yet. Here is a pretty well accepted general guide for switching a live feeding snake to a snake that will gladly take frozen thawed, hopefully quickly.

1)Pre-scent the room! This is critical. Leave the prey container (if live) in the room with the snake for at least 30 minutes to get the snake into feeding mode. Once you get to frozen/thawed, you can thaw the prey out under a lamp for the enclosure, or simply leave the f/t prey on top of the tub or tank for 30+ minutes. Another technique to add to this is to rub the f/t prey with a live prey to strengthen the scent.

2) Do not try to switch until at least 4 good feedings (assuming live).

3) After 4 live feedings, try offering a stunned prey. I have seen various ways of doing this, but it seems just whacking the prey on a table, etc is the most common. This dazes the prey, while leaving it live. It may twitch, and it is still breathing, so bp's tend to still think of it as prey. If this still does not go well, try rubbing the stunned prey on a live prey item, to try to mimic the scent even further. This rubbing technique is quite common, and should be used extensively

4) After several stunned feeding, try moving to pre-killed. The most accepted and humane way to euthanize is a CO2 chamber, and there are some good stickies on DIY chambers on the forums. This is what most people do. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=33850
With p/k prey, make sure to warm the prey up a little again, usually with a hair dryer, and dont forget to pre-scent.

5) After several p/k feedings, its time to try f/t. You can probably guess the procedure by now, but here it goes. Thaw the prey in a plastic bag surrounded by warm water. Be sure not to thaw too long otherwise the skin and other membranes become really weak and you or your snake will just make a mess, not to mention some snakes are picky about how strong the skin is. To be sure it is all thawed, but not cooked (dont cook it), you should be able to feel the ribs give just a little if you squeeze them, and not feel a firm, cold center. Again, there a lot of more posts on this, and if you have more questions, just ask. Anyway, once you have your prey thawed, leave it under a lamp, etc to pre-scent the room. Also, using a hair dryer to warm up and/or dry off the prey can help protect against refusal.

Well, I hope that covers it, let me know what you all think. Dont forget that this doesnt mean I talked about every single detail. I tried to be complete, but ask and you shall receive.