Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
Well I purchased a baby western hog last weekend at the orlando expo. I snake is now a month old. The breeder had told me that they hadnt tried feeding it yet. I am not new to having snakes but this is my first hog. I did research and found that westerns accept pinkies readily. Not this one. First i tried just putting it in front of it nothing. Then I put it in a small paper bag with the snake overnight..nothing. I then tried braining the pinkie and left it in the bag with the snake for about 5 hours...still nothing. What is the next step? Toads are sort of easy to find around here, do I just rub the pinkie all over the toad and try? At what point do you force feed (which I hate doing)? Thanks to all who reply as I am wet behind the ears when it comes to these snakes.
Thanks,
Jason

First, I would give the snake another week or so. I have had baby hogs that didn't eat for the first 8 weeks or so. Just keep trying. It is better not to get a snake to start taking anything that resembles a toad. If it comes to it though, you can rub a frog or toad all over the pinkie after washing the pinkie to take the mouse smell off. Another option is to go road cruising for a little while. Chances are you will find dead toads or frogs that have been smushed by cars. Since you said they are fairly common, you could even probably find dead anurans before you get off of your street. These are great for scenting. You can even chop them up and use them like a slurry for scenting. They can also be frozen for later feedings. Do not force feed. I have had hogs die from force feeding. The moral of the story though is never buy a hognose that hasn't been fed yet. They are also sketchy feeders as a whole. Many go off feed for months, even westerns. Just check the rest of the forum. There are TONS and TONS of threads about "My hognose isn't eating! What do I do?" But good luck to you.
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Andy Maddox
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The Reptizone

"A yellow ribbon instead of a swastika. Nothin' proper about ya propaganda. Fools follow rules when the set commands ya. Said it was blue when ya blood was red. That's how ya got a bullet blasted through ya head"- Rage Against the Machine

Are the pinkies alive? When my little hog went off food, the ONLY thing that would make him eat was the movement of a live pinkie. Now he is back on f/t, but I have to nudge the dead pinkie with a chopstick to simulate movement. Scenting, leaving overnight, all those tricks just would not work... he wanted to see a moving pinkie.

Good luck!
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I got a great piece of advice on this forum and it worked like a charm with two non feeders....go buy a can of tuna in WATER. drain the water in a container to save it. Eat the tuna yourself. Thaw out a pinkie and soak it in the room temp tuna water. Put it in their habitat and leave them alone...every time..gone! I then keep the tuna water in the refer for future use. To warm it I set the container in a pan of hot water.
Hope this helps.
Nancy
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Some of my best friends are snakes
Snakes Rule