Trip to a vet did not help my snake, please help

[lifesong]

Hello everyone, I've browsed here for a while now ever since I got my BP about 5 months ago. I made an account tonight because I need some help or advice. I apologize in advance if this is long or rambling..
BACKSTORY:
I took my snake to a vet tonight that said they treated snakes when I first called and made an appointment. The reason for the appointment is because my snake is young (I got him from petsmart in june) and he hasn't eaten in 2 months. I checked most of the threads on here and have tried many of the steps (changing temp, humidity, warmer mouse, cooler mouse, smaller mouse, blanket over tank, blowdryer, etc.) and I still have had no luck. I know adult snakes can go for months and months without eating but I am concerned because my snake is still so young and it's been 8 weeks of me trying, sometimes up to 3 different mice a night just to see if the temperature of one wasn't ideal or whatever.
AT THE VET (main point of my post):
Even though I was told on the phone the vet treated snakes, he vet didn't seem like he knew too much about ball pythons at all. During the exam, he asked if I brought a stool sample and I had not (or been asked to) so he stuck a q-tip up my snake's cloaca and when pulling it out my snake urinated and there was a little blood, it looked like he had torn a little of the edge of the cloaca where it meets the scales and the cloaca was protruding slightly (after a few minutes it seemed to go back to normal but the skin above it seems a bit 'loose' for lack of better words). He acted like nothing was wrong but after a few minutes I asked if the blood was normal and he assured me it was but he'd "put some anti-septic cream there just to be safe". He then smeared the urine on a glass microscope slide and went to the back of the office "to check for parasites, etc". When he returned he didn't mention anything so I asked if he had found anything and he mumbled something about protozoa (because he mumbled through this I have no idea what he actually said) and that he didn't find anything but you would need advanced equipment to know for sure (this unasked for procedure tacked another 25 dollars on my bill). I'm honestly just worried about my snake at this point and if there's any risk of damage being done from the q-tip to my snakes cloaca or scales. I have held my snake and he seems happy (he trusts me and loves crawling around me - sticks his head between my fingers when he is scared instead of going into a ball) and alright but I am keeping him in his travel tub for now, I'm afraid of I put him in his tank he could get infected if the small particles of coconut husk (I use the eco earth powdery type) get lodged in there or bacteria from the mouse he refused to eat last night (the mouse is gone but I'm guessing bacteria can linger around the substrate).
VET'S RECOMMENDATIONS (2nd point of my post):
The vet recommended:
-buying a bird feeding syringe on ebay and using wet dog food like Purina or even egg yolk to give my snake nutrients.
-force feeding pinky or crawler mice
-getting a smaller hider box and avoiding contact or sight with snake.

My questions to the community:
Does anyone have advice on what to do regarding the potential harm from the q-tip procedure? Is this something normal that I just haven't heard of before?
Is dog food and egg yolk really a good idea? IMO snakes would require totally different nutrition than dogs and egg yolk just doesn't seem right to me.
Thoughts in general?

Pictures of my snake attached, only thing I notice is minor rips near cloaca and spurs which I had not noticed before now poke through (one more so than the other)
If I'm over-reacting, feel free to tell me, I would take that as a good thing
Different angles of affected area:
http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kq2.jpg
http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kq4.jpg
http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kq5.jpg
http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kq6.jpg
http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kq7.jpg
http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kq8.jpg
Post care instructions:
http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kq9.jpg
My little buddy:
http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kqg.jpg

[Moose84]

Few questions.

How often are you handling the animal?

Did the animal eat for 3 months for you (likely 10-12 times then stop?)

what set up is it in?

have you tried live prey? What have you been offering it?

how much weight has it lost?

Snake looks awfully thin to me. I suggest to stop handling and let’s figure the rest out.

[lifesong]

How often are you handling the animal?
About once a week, sometimes once every week and a half.

Did the animal eat for 3 months for you (likely 10-12 times then stop?)
He (not sure if it's a male or female but they said male at petsmart) didn't eat for the first couple weeks for me. Petsmart employee told me he had just eaten a few days before I bought him (this wasn't true, went in to see logs later and he hadn't eaten from the day petsmart got him to the day I bought him (4 weeks). So he hadn't eaten for about 6 or 7 weeks until he was first ready to eat for me. After he ate for me the first time it was every week like a charm I thought I wouldn't have to worry about it again. 8 weeks ago he stopped and hasn't eaten since. He'll come out of his cave and look at the mouse and adjust his jaws and act like he might be interested but then he just lays his head down on the plate's edge (I put the mouse on a paper plate so substrate doesn't get caught on the mouse, though the last time he ate he pulled it off the plate and swallowed a very small amount of coco substrate (about a grain of rice worth)...wonder if that's related. A few days after he ate last time he had a mucus like hiccup that occurred whenever he moved a few inches. I accidentally cured this by putting him in his travel container with some wet paper towels, when he was in there he pooped (for the first time significantly since I began feeding him, before that it was very rare and small excrement) and held in in my hands to warm him up a little. When I put him back in his tank that night he was very active and the mucus hiccup was gone.


what set up is it in?
Here's a pic of current setup: http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kqr.jpg
I know it's not impressive but I've been learning what to do for his next setup which I've been getting stuff for: http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kqt.jpg
I was planning to move him over and change to cypress mulch as soon as he eats his next meal.

have you tried live prey? What have you been offering it?
No, I really want to stay away from live prey and not get him used to it. He was eating frozen/thawed on a weekly basis before he stopped eating altogether.

how much weight has it lost?
I'm not sure, I never weighed him when I got him. When the vet weighed him tonight I believe the scale said 2.6 (ounces I'm guessing)

Snake looks awfully thin to me. I suggest to stop handling and let’s figure the rest out.
Dang, that's what I thought too based on pics I've seen here. Vet said current weight was not concerning him at the moment.

[Moose84]

73 ounces is way too small. Sorry. Based off the picture that seems about right. Has he been in the same enclosure the entire time? Also, if that snake continues not to eat you will have to throw the whole “I don’t want to get him used to live” stuff out the window. Remember it’s what’s best for the animal. At that weight and that age you need to get weight on him and worry about the FT later in my opinion. I have 4 month olds 4 times that size. They eat appropriately sized meals every week. Just to give you a comparison. Even the slow growers are 200+ grams at that size. Also. Stop handling it until it starts eating consistently. If it continues not to eat you will have to downsize the enclosure.

[Bogertophis]

I've never had a vet use a Q-tip to obtain a stool sample from a snake, but that's typical for a dog if you can't or don't bring in a fresh stool sample. I can see how
that would irritate his cloaca & cause a little bleeding...shouldn't be a major problem & it was in the snake's best interest that his stool be checked, as parasites might
be part of his problem. Snakes can die from internal parasites (like protazoa, or various kinds of worms) or external parasites (like mites).

Since his cloaca is sore right now, you should change his cage substrate & use only clean paper towels to reduce debris sticking to his tail & causing infection. If the
vet didn't give you anything to put on his sore cloaca, you could get some Vetericyn (antiseptic water-based ointment designed for snake use), either online or from
a pet store...I think Petco carries it?

DO NOT feed a snake any moist dog food, or force-feed...there are many things to sort out & fix first, but if he still won't eat, I can PM you much better directions as
a last resort way to safely feed him. But that's NOT where you start...and even your vet mentioned giving the snake "hides" (for his sense of security) & leaving him
alone. Many snakes will refuse to eat (even to the point of dying) if they are handled excessively & not allowed to de-stress. Even if captive-bred, snakes are WILD
animals, not "domestic", so to be successful in keeping them, you must put their needs first. Eating is "job #1"...best to not handle any new snake until it's feeding
regularly at normal intervals on appropriate prey for at least 3 times before you handle them at all...otherwise, you interfere with their feeding instincts because a snake
that's afraid is not going to eat, & the only thing that picks up a snake in the wild is normally a predator about to EAT them. Snakes are stoic...it's not always obvious
that they are stressed when in fact, they are. But he was eating for you, for the first 3 months??? How often & what was he fed?

Another thing: trying to feed a snake too often will only stress them into refusing. When a snake refuses food, don't offer again for another WEEK. You said you were
trying 3 mice a night...? No wonder he wouldn't eat.

FYI- I'm not a fan of feeding live either, but I put the snake's needs first, & worry about switching later. He or she does need to eat.

[Moose84]

Also, shoving mashed up dog food and egg yolks down a more than likely stressed snakes throat isn’t the greatest advice in my opinion. The fact that a snake that small hasn’t eaten in 2 months and the vet said nothing about live prey is kinda shocking to me. Are YOU willing to feed the animal live if it doesn’t eat? If so how long are you willing to wait? Questions you have to ask yourself. I’m just not a fan of hairdryers on different settings and trying the same thing over and over with no results. An 800 gram male you can wait out. A 75 gram underweight snake is not the one you can.

[lifesong]

Wow, I didn't know how small he actually is to what he should be. You are right what's best for the snake comes first...if he doesn't eat very soon I will consider this.

He's been in his 10 gallon tank the you see ever since I got him, the last time he ate he did great he didn't even wait for me to close the lid before he snagged onto the mouse. I noticed he had been gaining a bit of weight since I got him until he stopped eating, but that progress seems to be reversing slowly.

I'll stop handling until he eats. He was actually up to petsmarts Arctic Mice "Small Mice" before he stopped eating. After a few weeks of refusing "small mice" size I downed it to "fuzzy mice" size and have been trying that since. Do you think trying a few pinkies on a plate is a good idea? Does his cloaca flap look normal enough to you not to worry about? I started this worried about the blood I saw but based on our discussion so far I'm realizing the weight problem is more serious than I realized.

[Bogertophis]

OK, part of the problem is a total lack of security (privacy) in his current set-up as shown: http://i.thinimg.com/img/9kqr.jpg

Hides must have only ONE doorway, just big enough for the snake (with a meal) to fit thru. Yours are way too open, they offer nothing for him to feel safe.

Also, you should cover the back & sides of the glass tank with dark paper for privacy, or better yet & while you're at it, use something like corrugated cardboard or
black foam board to insulate the back & sides (tape on outside of glass) to add privacy.

Back to basics: what are you using to heat his cage? is it regulated? how? What are the low end & high end (max) temps. in cage (ON substrate where the snake is)?

Besides just the hides being inadequate, most here have better results with "clutter" in their BP cages: fake plants or driftwood & such things.

You haven't mentioned measuring his humidity either? Glass tanks need a modification to keep IN the humidity for a BP...you can just cover most of the screen top with
foil or plexi or most anything that doesn't allow air (& all the moisture) to escape.

[lifesong]

But he was eating for you, for the first 3 months??? How often & what was he fed?

Another thing: trying to feed a snake too often will only stress them into refusing. When a snake refuses food, don't offer again for another WEEK. You said you were
trying 3 mice a night...? No wonder he wouldn't eat.

FYI- I'm not a fan of feeding live either, but I put the snake's needs first, & worry about switching later. He or she does need to eat.

Yes, he was eating well after I got him started. First was pinkies (petsmarts suggestion) then after a few weeks I moved up to fuzzies and then right before he stopped he had 1 or 2 weeks of "small mice" (all the mice are petsmart arctic mice brand).
Thanks for the info, I thought perhaps offering different temperature mice might help that's why I was doing 3 in a night (one normal temp, slightly cooler, slightly warmer, all thawed in room temp water then warmed up at around 100 degrees before feeding). Sounds like he needs to destress big time, I'll get the substrate removed from his tank tonight and put paper towels down.

[Moose84]

The q-tip in the vent is the least of my worries. All the prey you just mentioned is too small. My snakes might get a pinkie or two before they are on to fuzzy rats and then pups. Most of the live mice you get at the store if that’s the only place you have are 15-20 grams. Snake should have no issues with that. We can’t be inside your husbandry all the time. Live prey especially a mouse is a good indicator in my opinion if something is truly off. I have rarely if ever had a BP refuse a live mouse. I’d also try smaller hides. Those open air hides have never seemed to work when people post on here. My concern is it sounds like you are looking at that as a last resort (live mouse...) I would say if you try shoving mashed up dog food down it’s throat it will only make things worse. Same with force feeding. You have no experience in either. Sorry just being honest.