I have been feeding my ball pythons frozen/thawed mice i get from my local pet store. The last two times I fed my snakes one of the mice would pop after the strike and constriction. It really doesn't bother me at all as long as they eat. The only problem is it can smell really bad.

I want to know if this happens to anyone else. Is it related to my feeding tongs, the way i thaw the mice out or is it the mice i am buying?

Process of feeding: I thaw out my mice in a measuring cup of hot water for 20-25 minutes. I then take them out and put them under a heat lamp until warm to touch. I take out my snake to feeding cage( I know most people don't, but mine seem to do very well this way). I use some tongs that have a grip.