Good news, friends! (Though I don't want to celebrate too prematurely.) This evening I offered a slightly smaller weaned rat, pre-killed instead of f/t, and Iggy ate it! Rather enthusiastically, too. Other than the prey being pre-killed, the only other change made so far had been bumping up the ambient temp from 78 F to 80 F, since the newly ordered hides haven't arrived yet.
I'm probably going to keep offering pre-killed for another 2 or 3 consecutive successful feedings before I try moving back to f/t again. As for swapping in the new hides ... he's going to need the upgrade in size soon enough, but since a major change in his home turf can be a stressor too, I may wait until we're at least past the more finicky period of the winter/breeding season, or if he starts refusing again, before I make the switch. Does this sound reasonable?
Pre-killed can sometimes work magic. Good plan!
Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength. Eric Hoffer(1902 - 1983)
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” ~ Gandhi