I use a pair of tongs except after Issa completes a shed. After he completes a shed his feeding response is so strong, I'm afraid he'll hit the tongs, so I just drop the mouse in his feeding box and nudge it.

I used a pair of needlenose pliers for his first mouse (held by end of tail and dropped as soon as he went for the the strike) since I didn't have tongs...that thought crosses my mind every time i use those pliers for EE work now, even though I scrubbed em down afterward...eww