There really is no harm in them eating it backwards.
Since you are feeding f/t, if you pay a little attention to getting the head extra hot, that might help the snake find the head.
It is possible that it is more likely a snake will eat the rodent backwards if the prey item is too small. The rodent should be about the same size in girth as the largest part of your snake.
EDIT: I just re-read your post and noticed you said the snake is 3 1/2 years old. One medium mouse/week might not be enough, although since it is a male and not being used for breeding purposes, he probably isn't exceptionally big and doesn't use up a lot of resources. You might try giving him 2 mice per week.
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