First off - let me say thanks to your husband and to you because I'm sure being an Army wife is not easy -

As for the mice... they look terrible - I can't imagine why they would kill them like that. The pet stores like petco and petsmart usually have low quality rodents that are overpriced, so if you can find another source that would probably be best.

Keep trying with the frozen mice. It sounds like you have only tried once and he was in shed, correct me if I'm wrong. Keep trying - if he had been eating frozen I am sure you can get him back on them. A missed feed or two isn't that big a deal for a snake. If you think the prey size is too big go down a size - if you give a smaller prey item there might be a smaller chance of refusal. Prescenting can also help - heat up the mouse near the snake to get him excited about it. You can also try leaving the mouse outside the hide for awhile and leave him alone - even overnight I believe and check on him in the morning and see if he took it. It sounds like your guy is going through a lot of stress with getting over the mites and going into shed, so give him a little time and double check that your tank settings are all good (check out the stickys!) and I'm sure you will have him eating like a champ!

And don't feel bad about not wanting to feed him live mice - I love my snake and I know he has to feed but I feed frozen too because anything furry and alive comes into my place and it is staying alive. (One of the reasons I waited to get a snake from a place that had them started on frozen).

Best of luck!