When I got my little carpet she was eating rat pinkies. I am still feeding her the remainder of pinkies and then plan to move up to fuzzies. Is there any issue with feeding them rats when they are young? I have a cardboard mat that I put in front of her hide and she knows "it's dinner time". The first two times I fed her she didn't take it off of the tongs but ate it off of the mat. The next time she gently grabbed it from the tongs and the last time she was out and ready - much more aggressive. She is such a fun snake, I think I want more carpets but they are not that easy to find in this part of Canada.