I have a BP and he's a sweet heart (for the most part). I've been feeding him live since I've had him. A word of caution. When you put the rat in the enclosure make sure you watch and be ready to take the prey out immediately if the rat becomes aggressive. It doesn't happen often but once I had a rat jump on my BP and start to attack him. Live feeding will not make your BP more aggressive. Only leave the prey in the cage for about 20-30 minutes. If he doesn't eat wait a week. Mine eats a small rat every two weeks like clockwork.