The technique that I use is this:
- After thawing the rat, heat it up to 99-100F. This is the natural body temp of a live rat. You can use something like a blow dryer, heat lamp, or heat up some water to 100F and let the rats sit in it for a few minutes. Whichever method you choose, just make sure that you don't overheat and/or start cooking the rat ( heat lamp).

- Pre-scent the room. You can do this by thawing/heating the rats near the enclosures or by using a blow dryer to circulate the rat scent around the room. Once the snakes smell it, they should be getting interested and in feed mode.

- Use feed tongs and grab the rat by the scruff of the neck. Present the rat about 4-6 inches in front of the snake and lightly wiggle it (zombie dance). Make the rat look like it is kind of sitting there, sniffing around. Let the snake come to the rat.

- If they don't seem interested, then just lay the rat down about 3-4 inches in front of the hide and leave it overnight. Some snakes will come out later and eat. If it is still there in the morning, discard the rat and try again on the next scheduled feed day.

The whole objective is to take a frozen, dead rat and make it seem as close to alive as you can. If the snake doesn't eat it, make sure you keep track of it's weight, because you may have to apply a little tough love and try waiting it out for a few weeks before giving in and feeding live, then start the process over.