Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I now have 5 lovely little TINY hatchlings. They are so small, I can't for the life of me imagine them being able to eat the newborn mice pinkies I have bought. One of the hatchlings is so tiny, I can't even imagine it eating a pinkie head! What do I do?

I need a little advise as to what you do with your babies after they hatch, how you set them up and what you do to feed them. I expect to wait to try to feed them until they have shed, but after that, I am in the dark and want to make sure I take good care of them!

Thanks! Mare

Newborn hognose and hognose in general eat a wide variety of prey, including turtle eggs, lizard eggs, insect's, frog's, toad's and of course, rodent's.If they dont want a newborn pinky, you can try splitting the brain of the pinky.Many snakes flip out for the "brain flavor".My personal favorite is to use a live toad,( a species they normally eat), and rub it all over the pinky, if the hognose turn's down toad scent, then your work will be cut out for you.I've seen hognose attack and attempt to feed on other hognose because they picked up the scent of a toad.Good luck, Brook@ Berntson Professional Herpetoculture

the size of the prey item. My adult hogs all feed regularly on mice. I did have to do a little scenting for a while when a few of them were younger, though. But I have a couple hatchlings out of this clutch that are just super tiny and I am unsure how to approach their first feeding... I envision at this point giving them pinky parts...

I plan to set each one up in it's own deli cup this evening. That way I'll know who's shed and who hasn't. Have you had any success with first feedings using f/t pinkies/parts?

Thanks, Mare

all my newborn western hognose are able to eat newborn pinkies! just get the smallest pinkies you can find and sometimes I let the pinkies mice go without food for a few days so there smaller. but I dont think size is the problem it is more getting them interested in the pinkie and for that you may have to scent them with toeds..

JIM

I already froze them so I guess the pinkies I got yesterday won't be on any diets LOL!

Do you wait to try to feed them until after 1st shed or do you try right away?

Thanks,

Mare

I wait a few days or a week after the first shed so there starting to get hungry..