Placing the mouse under the heat lamp for a period of time works the best IMO.

I mean this in the nicest way possible- owning a ball python is going to require you to kill rodents whether you like it or not. Obviously you won't have to kill them once you get fully switched to f/t, but I assume he had been eating live or p/k up until now?

Amber is uninterested in a thawed out rodent, so I have to rat bash on a weekly basis. I'll be honest, I really don't like doing it at all. I've even thought about taking one feeder rat home and keeping it as a pet to feel better that I saved at least one. I love animals, all animals, including my feeders. Its just a necessary evil and itspart of my responsibilty as a snake keeper.