I feed pre-killed to my hognose (won't eat live). It is an alternative. Fairly easy to do with a keyboard cleaner and a ziploc bag. Advantage - no need to thaw out, and of course, won't hurt your snake. Great for those who has a quality live breeder close-by or if you breed your own.

By the way, I went to PetSmart today and I found this thinga-magic called Artic Mice Defroster. Interesting stuff. You fill it up with water, put a "landing disc" that sits above the water line, nuke it in the microwave to warm the water up, then put the frozen mouse/rat on the disc and let sit for 6-9 minutes. Dunno if this thing works but it looks like a great invention...