Suddenly agressive Ball Python, needing suggestions

[Bogertophis]

Not only is it unsafe (sooner or later your snake will need the vet...rats bite hard, & can actually kill the snake, either
directly or by injury & infection that doesn't respond to treatment) but it keeps your snake in a highly-defensive snake, never knowing when a live rat shows up
that she must do battle with. Snakes fed pre-killed (f/t OR fresh killed by you) tend to be calmer pets, though it may take some time for yours to learn to relax now
that she's used to live.....

Pardon my typo Meant to say "it keeps your snake in a highly-defensive STATE, never knowing when..."

And again, it's not about the cage (DO feed in usual cage), it's about the snake confusing you with her dinner: ball pythons have heat-sensing pits on their face,
and guess what? YOU are warm & wiggling, & to a near-sighted snake, you look as though you might be dinner heading her way. Snakes see motion very well but
they don't recognize things (you, prey, or anything else) just by vision alone...that gets their attention, then they identify it by smell & sometimes touch. If they
stopped to smell it in the wild, they'd starve, so it's up to YOU not to send confusing signals to your snake. Identify yourself by scent (I often blow air across my
hand thru the screen toward the snake...they'll flick their tongue to identify that you don't smell like food), or by touch ("hook training"). The more you remember
how the world looks to your snake, the better communication you'll have & a calmer pet that doesn't make mistakes & bite you.