my lil girl will eat anything and i usually feed live but if its near her day to feed ill throw in a very small F/T mouse if she acting funny(like shes hungry) and she just looks at it then bites and its gone. personally i think they can see the heat leaving the body, they are very sensitive to heat. dont be afraid to try live if u want. make sure its not too big for ur snake or else u may be in trouble!!