Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello All,
Just ordered a Gray Banded King and the breeder also has an Eastern Hog that he will include at a remarkable pice (no extra shipping). It is feeding on anole scented pinkies and I trust the guy as have read good feedback on him at other sites. My question is since it is already on scented pinkies are easterns really that hard to keep? It is half of what a western would cost plus no shipping. How hard would it be to convert to non-scented pinks? Welcome all opinions. Thanks.

Not bad. Getting one on to scented pinks is the hardest part. It is not often that you get them lizard scented pinks. Most of the time it has to be toad or frog scented. But after you get them onto scented, most of the job is over. Just start scenting less and less over a period of a few weeks until you finally just phase out scenting all together. Once you get them mice and they are well adjusted, they make fair captives. Andy
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Andy Maddox
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Burgundy baby, With your blue eyed soul, You play the hits and I'm on that roll, Capricorn sister, Freddie Mercury, Jupiter Child cry

I agree mostly. It is also up to the individual animal, I have one that is now eating unscented pinkies that we really did not have to try scented pinkies on. Another Eastern that I have still requires an occasional scenting. Even if they are all on unscented rodents, there may be periods of time when they stop eating during the winter like most hognoses do. You may have to rescent the food item in the spring to get them started again.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

It is the switching off scented that is tricky. Unlucky for me I don't have toads hopping across the street and in my yard like some people do. I recieved some Easterns that were advertised as eating unscented. When I got them it took over a month for them to take heavily scented. Could have been from the shipping stress, maybe. After a few months I got them both onto unscented. Now for the last 6 months one of them doesn't eat unscented anymore. It is weird how they go back and forth. I actually like the Easterns better but that is my opinion. I grew up around Easterns.
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0.1 Rubber Boa
1.1 Eastern Hognose Snakes
2.3 Western Hognose Snakes
1.0 Durango Mountain Kingsnake
1.1 Woma's (new!)
Spadefoot
Black Knobbed Sawback
Northern Diamondback
Florida Redbellied Slider
Western Painted
Southern Painted
1.0 African Hedgehog
1.0 Sulcata
2.1 Leopard (Babcocki) 1.0 borrowed (thanks Bobby)
2 Plecos
2 Silver Dollars
3 Bosemian Rainbows
1 African Dwarf Frog
1 Khuli Loach
1 Cory Cat
1 Upside Down Catfish
2.0 Fire Guramis

uhh... I think that is it.

For such an attractive snake they sure are a lot of trouble. I think I will pass until I get the GBK on non-scented. Maybe get an '04 baby western when the time is right. Just hated to pass up such a good deal. Thanks.

There's one real reason that they are difficult captives for many herpetoculturists: THEY EAT TOADS AND FROGS. Eastern hogs are my favorite snake, but I wouldn't consider keeping one unless I had access to natural prey items. If you have reliable access to toads and frogs native to their range, they are no more difficult than a corn snake. Shane