Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am really afraid that when my hoggies hatch out they will not want to eat. I know about not counting my hoggs before they hatch, but i think i should know before hand.

has there been any thing written about what makes ccb hogs not eat? Does it have to do with incubation, or the parents, or stress on the hatchlings? I am incubating the eggs at around a constant 82-83*f with a rather high humidity for the fist few days, to make sure they are properly hydrated. i will lower the humidity in about another day, but as it stands now, it is at 80%. I am planning to seperate the hatchlings into seperate shoe boxes until they feed at least 2x.

Will any of the pre hatch care affect their feeding habits? Does anyone know for sure? Am i doing everything ok?

i am so stressed....replies are greatly appreciated. thanks, jen

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"Brains for dinner, brains for lunch. Brains for breakfast, brains for brunch. Brains for every single meal; why can't we have some GUTS?"-Misfits

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
0.1 partial stripe ghost corn- Raven
1.0 Sunglow motley corn-Ernie
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.2 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.0.1 Red american toadlet
0.0.1 gray tree frog toadlet
4.3 bettas
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
2.4 ratties Rizzo, Bree, Blitzkreig, kaos, adelle, and shiloh

I think that hognoses don't eat because they are hognoses. I think that for the most part people overfeed captive reptiles and amphibians, and hognoses just seem to hit a upper calorie limit and quit eating because they don't need to any longer. Then on top of that, hognoses are predisposed to going off eat anyway. It probably has a lot to do with their natural history, since their food supply tends to come and go in waves.

"I am planning to seperate the hatchlings into seperate shoe boxes until they feed at least 2x."
I don't understand the reasoning behind this, hognoses should be separated all of the time.
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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)

I have a yearling that is not eating. Been almost 2 months since she ate. I agree with the earlier post that it is natural. These are wild animals, not domesticated. Even captive bred are still really wild animals. They do not have the thousands of years of captive breeding like traditional pets like dogs and cats.

I've kept snakes for 10 years, mostly Ball Pythons. Even several months is not uncommon with Balls. My male Ball eats like a horse, one rat a week. But I know that every other year or so he will go off feed for 2 to 4 months. This my first hog but I bet they feed before any real damage is done. In the past mine has ate feeder fish, F/T mice, a worm, live mice. But also has refused all the above.

Don't stress about it! Remember, life will find a way!
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0.1 Western Hognose
1.0 Ball Python

It sounds like you are doing great and don't worry about the feeding hogs until they have hatched. My experiences show that any hatchling snake may not eat right after birth. Every year I have a group of varying hatchlings (not just hogs) that are slow starters. I simply employ all the known techniques for getting them going and eventually they take off but remember some may die in the process but those IMO are the weaker less desireable for future propagation anyway. Hatchling snakes in the wild have a built in survival mode that allows them to go along time without found because it is less available to them. So sit back and enjoy yourself with your hog eggs and have fun the rest will follow!

Take Care

Matt