I’ve adopted adult ball pythons, 2 males, from the same owner who had tried when they were babies for several months with a variety of methods to get them to feed on frozen thawed rats and mice. I didn't need to feed live. They both took the frozen thawed the first time I feed them. This might be a rare case but it doesn't hurt to try. If you do not want to kill a rat (like the previous suggestion) cut one open a little so that the snake can smell the blood and all that. Or you can buy those scent products they sell at places like petco that entice the animal when you put it on the dead rat. I feed my snakes frozen thawed by hand and don't use tongs- I know this is not recommended but I’ve had them for years with no problem. When I offer them the frozen I twirl the rat by the tail one direction then abruptly the opposite direction it looks a little like the rat is swinging its body trying to get up to your hand that is holding it by the tip of the tail. This works really well for me and the snakes that had been on live transitioned easily. Don't just drop in the thawed the new snake will at first need to see movement, body heat and smell the rat. If feeding live is really not an option you can wait and adopt an animal that already eats frozen thawed. I’ve heard some snakes will never really take to frozen and will be picky. If it's an adult you might be able to get away with not feeding it as often 1 or 2 times a month depending on the size of the food offered and snake. Try the twisting before the scented products or cutting dead (can look and smell pretty)

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