How hard/long have you tried? It may take some effort, but is well worth it in the long run for you and the snake. I have seen snakes KILLED from a mouse......not a rat, but a MOUSE. One of my snakes was bitten on the head by a mouse when I was ignorantly feedng live and I have since been feeding f/t. One of my '03 BPs gave me a hard time switching over to f/t, but is now eating f/t like a champ. You just gotta be willing to put in the extra effort.