Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Since we caught the snake it has not eaten anything. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions as to what to feed it or how to get the snake to eat

GOOD LUCK!!! I hope you get that little guy to eat.I tried everything that was suggested. Scenting, braining, put pinkie and snake in deli dish overnight, use forceps and hop pinkie around tank, crickets and force fed small chunk of nightcrawler. It was drinking water but still would not eat on it's own. Had the proper temps and humidity. Aspen bedding, dark hiding spot, water bowl, etc and the snake finally died after a month of not eating. I have since read that sometimes you can not get a W/B Eastern baby to eat at all in captivity that is why W/B's make it little more challenging to keep. Am I correct on this one???? I still have an interest in hognose snakes and would still consider one in the future, although, I think I will seek out a reputable breeder and go that route.

What usually works for me is to take a small toad and rub it all over a pinky mouse then offer it to him.For some reason it looks to me that small toads work better.If that doesn't work,rub a toad on a live pinky and try it! Good luck and keep us posted! Jeff

You could try frog saliva on a f/t pinky. It's worked great for me on southern and eastern hog babies when nothing else worked. Just shove a f/t pinky in a f/t green tree frogs mouth and get it all gooey. Good luck. Kevin

I've had 100% success with CB hatchlings and a few adults by using the scent of a live toad rubbed on a pinkie. Most prefer to eat from my hand. You sometimes need to use the "toad and pinkie in one hand" technique where you have a small live toad and a pinkie together held between your index finger and thumb. You scent the pinkie first, and while holding them together, let the hog smell the toad and immediately move the pinkie in front of his face. It will take a few tries, but it usually works for me.

Good luck!

>>Since we caught the snake it has not eaten anything. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions as to what to feed it or how to get the snake to eat

strange as it may sound : dip a pinky into the water from a can of tuna fish (tuna in spring water not oil).

I had a stubborn eastern feeder go nuts for it...he would gobble any mouse dipped in the tuna water but turned his nose up to frog/toad scented stuff and non-scented. You can save the water from one can in a small lidded container and keep in the freezer so that it lasts quite a while and you don't get sick of eating tuna every 5-7 days lol. I would let the container sit on the counter just long enough for a small film to melt and rub the pinky in that before putting the container back into the freezer. Took him about six months before he started to get over the need to have tuna smelling food - by nine months he was completely on non-scented.