well, like i said, im new at thid, do you might want a 2nd opinion. i would try freshkiilled before anything else. i dont know bout the switching to rat think though. rex has been eating f/t rat pups since i got him, so i had no problem. sorry if none of this helps, im still learning, but im trying. but i would definatly get him to eat at least f/k before trying to switch. well, i just remembered something. try scenting a rat with a dead mouse. i have no experiance with this, but i heard it often works.