I just hold the prey by the tail within reach of the snake. This way you are more likely to be bitten, but it saves on the cost of an expensive pair of surgical tongs. And I don't believe that other people who say you should use the tongs even use them themselves. Once you introduce the prey, the snake will strike and coil around it. This is a best case scenario.
Ball pythons can be finicky feeders to say the least.
They can go for long periods of time without eating. I think we have one that is anorexic. We don't like to let the snakes go for more than nine months without feeding. Sometimes force feeding becomes necessary. It also may stimulate the snake into eating on its own.