Six weeks without eating for a mature ball python (assuming yours is male, it is mature at that age and weight, although it will continue to grow slowly) is not a big deal. It should not be losing weight so quickly that it's "spine is showing through" unless it was already significantly underfed before the fast began.
As Derek (dr del) says, before trying a live rodent....try switching rodents first. If the different colored rat doesn't work this time around, then a week later, try a f/t mouse. Switching rodent species often does the trick for a ball python that is fasting for reasons we can't fathom. Maybe he has some kind of negative connotation with the rat scent now, if he banged his face during a missed strike. He may be content to eat mice for awhile. If he takes one...then you can lay one or two more warmed mice down in the cage while he's busy strangling the first. Then cover the cage and leave him completely alone for a day. Check the next day and see if the mice are gone.
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