Reptile & Amphibian Forums

.......how often do you feed your Western Hognose??

I have been breeding corns for almost 20 years now, but just recently started getting into western hogs and have been feeding the hoggies as I do my corns, 1 appropriate sized food item per week (every 7 days), but it seems to me like the hoggies should be fed a little more often.
They are not thin by any means, but they are agressive feeders and I'm just wondering if I should be feeding them on a shorter schedual??

Any and all info would be appreciated.
Thanks, Walter

I try every 4 days. If they take it, cool. If not, cool.
Most take it.

I have 2, one of them eats every 5 days, the other eats every 6 days....they do seem to grow kinda slow to me also. One is a very aggressive eater the other is just so so at the moment.

Do you have photos to share?

Here are mine below....

Hogs need to be fed twice a week. I actually feed all mine every 3 days. They will all occasionally skip a meal, but for the most part they all eat every 3 days.
Will

Hello, are your hogs acting hungry?

I used to go by a schedule too, but with hognose it's a little different. Now I just pull out a few rodents each day and offer them to the "cruisers", usually hognose.

You will never waste a rodent ever again this way
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"You ever talk to me like that again...and I'll turn your balls into earrings. Understand?"

"Go for it."

I got a few ball pythons and a metric f***ton of colubrids.

I am with Will on this. Every 3 days, Most of this seasons hatchlings are already up to 25-30 grams.

not a thing wrong with 3 days, but they can feed daily for a while, but that depends how much per feeding.

I think the point is being missed, you can judge how much to feed, by how your snake is doing. The husbandry can be adjusted to as much as you want them to grow and grow correctly(healthy)

To much food does not make them fat, the wrong temps do. at least with neonates and young animals.

To me, if its hungry feed it. If a snake is chasing your finger daily, then its hungry so feed it. If its getting to fat, adjust the temps. etc.

I suck as non of my hogs chase me around. Darn that would be fun. Best wishes

Snakes have a growth potential, both naturally in nature and in captivity. They can grow very quickly, it does not pay to stay small in nature. In nature, they need to mature as fast as possible. Predation is a daily in nature, something is trying to eat them, when they are neonates, there are many times the types of predators, which do not predate adults, like insects, toads, mice etc. And all the predators that take adults.

In captivity, how fast they reach sexual maturity is not as important.

Colubrid snakes can reach sexual maturity in under a year, or what I consider normal, under two years. Anything after that is placing the snake in survival mode.

Snakes of most species, are build to withstand poor years and grow slowly or not at all. But that is response to poor temporary conditions and are not suppose to go on forever.

In nature, they feed daily and grow quickly, for short periods. Then feed less often, to not at all. There is no once every so many days. That is a human thing.

Once every seven days, is not what these animals do. But if your happy with it. Frankly, I would be bored to tears. But that is just me. best wishes