If he's "a few years old" then a baby rat may not interest him much at all. Try a small adult. His first refusal may have been a combination of stress from the move and/or deciding the meal was too small to be worth the energy to eat.
As for calming him down for handling...patience, patience, patience. Don't be in any hurry to make him get used to you. He may never be fond of handling...sometimes they're just nervous-nellies.