Please Help, Me and My Baby Ball are Desperate

[Bogertophis]

...The only thing that matters is that Pythia is getting healthier and healthier by the day. She's been eating once a week like clock work since we tried live. She did get scratched by the hopper last week though. Just a little cut on her back. I'm keeping it clean and it looks as though it has scabbed over now. She's getting better at getting good holds on the hoppers. I think last week was just a fluke.

I weighed her for the first time since the vet visit a couple weeks ago. She weighs 100g! I know that's still way underweight but it just makes me happy that we're on the right track!

And I will try to post a photo as soon as I can! (At work right now)

I would work on getting her switched to f/t (frozen/thawed) rodents. The first wound always seems like a "fluke" but as the rodents get bigger, so does their ability to
maim your beautiful pet. Even though most snakes manage to kill the rodents "most" of the time, the times when they do slip up are a virtual certainty, & can result in
serious infections that at best, need vet treatment & heal fine, but at worst case scenario, can even kill your snake. Remember that our cold blooded pals are easier to
keep healthy than they are to get them well...due to the hazards of medications, etc.

Many here use a blow-dryer to warm their f/t rodents to "life-like" warmth, but another way to switch your snake over is to offer 2 small rodents per meal (just so their
total size together isn't too large for your snake): the first is the live 'appetizer', & the second is a small f/t that's ready to go as soon as the snake finishes the first one.
Most snakes are pumped up enough to accept the second item, & it's a way for them to get familiar with the different taste/texture until they learn to accept just the f/t
by itself. It's also an opportunity (if you want) to try to switch her to rats: just remember that "live appetizers" should have eyes CLOSED for safety. Once
their eyes open, mice & rats DO bite back, & the longer their eyes are open, the greater the risk to your snake. So whatever the local sources call them, you
want "fuzzies" or "crawlers" or "pups" (etc)...eyes still closed, then offer a small f/t mouse or rat of appropriate size.

[traveling_classicist]

Bogertophis: thank you for this. I do plan to get her switched over to f/t here rather soon. I won't go any bigger than hoppers while feeding her live but right now with her size, I think hoppers are perfect for her. She ate again tonight and did fine with the live but like I said, I'd like to get her back to f/t very soon. I was extra attentive tonight when she ate and she got a much better hold on him. I'll try just a f/t maybe next week and if she refuses I might look into the live appetizer technique. I'd never heard of doing something like that but it makes sense.

[bcr229]

Don't be surprised if your snake skips a meal or two during the process of switching over to f/t; that's perfectly fine and it won't starve. I also agree with switching sooner rather than later, as it's fairly easy to do when they are young, growing, and hungry.