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Has anyone ever had an eastern hog that would only eat rodents if they were alive but wet? My wild-caught female eastern hognose (N.E. AR) refused to switch to rodents for ~3.5 months. She was actively eating live leopard frogs. I had tried all scenting methods that I could think of or find information about. After shedding, she was quite hungry as she had not eaten in a few weeks. I placed her in a freshly cleaned plastic feeding tank with a live goldfish (the last of the methods I tried). She stuck her head into the water dish with the fish and investigated but never went for it. All this action splashed water around the feeding tank. I then placed 2 ~4 day old live rat pinkies into the tank just to see if she would take them. I returned to the room to find a much fatter hognose and no rat pinkies. Every time I have tried this since she had taken the rat pinkies when I splash water on them but never if they are dry. Has anyone ever seen this before? I had heard of tuna scenting, etc. but water scenting is new to me!

Thanks,

Kyle

For a while when my Southern was younger, he would only eat rodents that were wet (frozen/thawed though not live)...but now he goes after anything that moves!

It makes sense considering that all almost everything they eat in the wild is moist. I am kind of surprised though that yours will eat rodents that have been in water and not tuna juice.

Well, the most important thing is that she eats. So congrats on finding a method that works!!
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Take care,

Alex Pepper

CBB '07 1.1 Aspidites ramsayi--Woma Pythons (Don Hamper/Rare Earth Stock)
CBB '08 1.1 Bothrochilus boa--Bismarck Ringed Pythons (Tom Keogan Line High Contrast)
CBB '07 1.0 Heterodon simus--High Red Southern Hognose Snake (Tom Pinson Line Red)
CBB '07 1.1 Pituophis catenifer sayi--Marathon, Texas Out-crossed Stillwater Hypomelanistic Bull Snakes
CBB '08 1.1 Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi--Black Pine Snakes (John Ginter Stock)
CBB '06 & '08 1.1 Eublepharis macularius--Blazing Blizzard & Reverse Stripe Tangerine Albino Leopard Geckos "Blaze" & "Angie"
CBB '02 0.1 Hemitheconyx caudicinctus--Stiped African Fat-tailed Gecko "Smeagol"
CBB '03 0.1 Canis domesticus--Cocker Spaniel "Cupcake"
CBB '99 0.1 Canis domesticus--Yellow Labrador Retriever "Freckles"

Happy Herping!

Kyle,
I had to scent my easterns food with tree frogs and then slowly cut back on scenting and for awhile it would take the wet pinks that were washed. Now it takes frozen thawed with no washing or scenting at all. I think yours might be able to do this as well if you get it feeding consistantly.
I am wondering if since the fish was in the water, the water was fish scented?
Nick