Where do I buy a hopper?!

[MrLang]

I called everything pet related within 25 miles of me. Nothing.

Where can I get a mouse hopper or 2?

I've never fed live, so is there any kind of pro tip for not having the thing run free in my house? Should I hold it by the tail and feed from hand or just drop it in there? I plan to switch to F/T asap, so I'm looking to form any habits that can make that easier (can I use tongs for live?).

This is also the smallest snake I've had, under 100g. I'm only resorting to live this quickly because the snake is a little thin looking. It has eaten 5 times total, since 5/18 at the first meal. Is it worth trying to pre-kill the hopper or is that going to be a waste of life for a snake this small and recently rehomed?

I prefer a sarcastic response from one of the people that argues with me on the live vs. F/T threads.

[mackynz]

Not sure, good luck though.

If he has eaten for you 5 times since since 5/18 that means he has been eating once a week. He should be more than 100g by now... What have you been feeding him?

[MrLang]

Sorry, to clarify I just got the snake a week ago and it has not eaten with me.

100g is an estimate - I can weigh her later on tonight

She has supposedly eaten 5 live hoppers without a refusal

Here are pics - her body condition looks a bit healthier in these photos than when she stretches out or is relaxed, though.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...09#post1858709

[mackynz]

I know you can order live from places, but it wouldn't be practical since you are only looking for 1. You could always see if she will take f/t.

Good luck, hopefully someone comes along with an idea.

[satomi325]

Try looking on craigslist for feeders or rodents in general. I live in an area w/ limited sources too, but I've been successful with CL in the past. (I ended up just breeding my own rats due to the limited breeders in my area)

And I would just drop the feeder into the enclosure with your snake. When you dangle prey, they tend to panic, which in turn increases the chances for them to bite. Panicked animals are dangerous animals.
In my experience of feeding live, I've never had a feeder panic when in the same enclosure as the snake. They just tend to explore or groom themselves, which is perfect for the snake.

[357]

A Hopper, eh?

[SnakeLuvnGirl]

LOL!! You gotta love those commercials!