There is nothing wrong with feeding live so long as you do it carefully and responsibly (ie: don't just leave the rodent in there unattended, etc). Boas are garbage disposals so when you're ready to switch him to f/t, you shouldn't have any trouble at all. ALL of mine have taken f/t on the first try.
Having said that, your feeding schedule sounds fine. I always err on the side of caution and stay small rather than go too large too quickly. However, your baby appears to be a good size. You said you've had him since August? What year is he? What's his gram weight? Just based on the pics, I'd say you might be able to move up to small mice. But go slow - he'll be fine on the hoppers for a while longer.
Also, I would NOT switch to rat pups. Baby rats have a much higher fat content which can cause problems in growing boas. Rats are excellent feeders for lots of snakes and there will come a point when you'll want to go to rats, but I would wait until your boa is eating large mice before you make that switch. A large mouse is roughly equivalent to a weaned rat which doesn't have as much fat as a rat fuzzy or pup so it's a good time to switch.
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