we put warm water in a bucket once it cools down to 100 drop the frozen rats in it with them being placed in a zip lock bag. wait until they feel complacently thawed then remove them from the bag place on paper towels dry each off individually, then as we go to feed we have been putting them on a shelf in front of our heater getting them to 95 or so degrees in the head area and then offering via tail first, then if the snake doesn't take then via the scruff though i had one rat rip open from this which was not present.
as soon as i get my co2 set up i was going to instead of knocking the rat out pull it out once asleep and try it that way but i haven't find any way to do co2 that i feel is accurate enough to first put them to sleep and then dispatch them, and i have read mixed things on co2 set up's for pinkies where some say that due to their development they live longer with higher co2 then the more developed rats will. though i assume its just harder to tell a sleeping rat when its eyes arn't even open yet.
the only reason i don't want to do completely alive on her is shes one of my larger girls and is eating 6-8 week old rats who when she strikes have harmed her in the past. i know a missing scale isn't the end of the world and she has shed since and it healed/ the scale was replaced fully by the new one, but i still don't want my snake to get hurt just because it was trying to eat. and after that incident she will just try to get away from a fully alert rat. when it comes to a pre-killed she will just either not go near them or be laying on them and not showing interest. as far as holding the rat by the tail or by the scruff she will look at it for 5-10 min acting as if she is going to strike and then she will just give up and try to get out of the tub.
she is in a 41q tub in a 8 tub tower with currently just her and our big pastel girl her humidity sits 60-65% most days unless she decides to spill her water which she does often. temps are typically 89 hot side and 81 cold side with 83 air temp.
as far as the mouser of the group she will eat rats 1-2 weeks then she will refuse and only go for a mouse. but that is our smaller pastel
