I would a small live rat and see like you said if he lied no telling what else he lied about.But the guy lied to us pretty much about every thing else so we were just wondering if he lied about them eating f/t rats.
Do you have a cool spot?There each in a 12 qt with temps around 89-90F over the heat tape and 60-70% humidity.
All snakes are different and what work for some do not work for all, generally speaking the majority of people feed in the enclosure so they are likely used to that as well(we take them out to eat) I know some people leave then in to feed them but we do it with all our snakes and never had any problems this way before.
Keep in mind that feeding outside the enclosure can cause enough stress to lead to refusal so it is likely only adding up to other possible issues, it's also a good way to get tagged.