Ok, first of all, I would seriously suggest never putting something like a PVC pipe in the tank again. You're going to get your snake stuck. They get wedged in there and then they are unable to come out...

Second, why would he be feeding on the mice that are in your house? How is he able to get to them if he's in a closed tank? Unless he's not in a closed tank in which case I would ask you why not. You need to be very VERY careful about him getting any house mice because they can carry all sorts of diseases.

Third, please don't dangle the live rats. It's frightening and painful for them. Pre-scent the room to get him interested and he should immediately tackle the rodent once you drop it into his cage. I'm a vegetarian also, and I do feed live to at least one of my snakes. So I understand both sides: the snakes have to eat, but there's no need for the rodent to suffer. Please take the rodent into consideration.