Im not too experienced, i have only kept bp's for about 2 1/2 years but i recently switched from live to f/t with not a single problem. If you want to feed f/t i recommend you find a baby ball that has been fed f/t before and even if it hasn't start off by offering f/t right off the bat. Also if you get a picky one, make the dead rat seem as alive as possible lol hope that helps.