Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,

What methods do you to get newly hacthed and shed Hog babies to eat if they don't take pinks? About half of the what I produced this year took off on live pinks right away. What could I do to get the others to eat? I'm used to kings, rats snakes, and rosy boas and have no issue with any type of those. Hogs are pretty different from them.

Thanks in advance!

PL

Welcome to the feeding of baby hogs club. Scroll down and your fishy answers are down there somewhere. Most have their favorite baits.

Mike

I keep a pet green toad. Its actually more fun then the hogs. I simply rub the toad on a pinkie and they take it.
Others use all manner of scenting, like tuna and salmon juices. That's weird to me, but it also works. I like my pet toad.
If your into behavior, another approach is, feed them together, the ones that don't feed, learn from the ones that do. That also works. That's a little Greatful dead for most folks.

With the monsoons going off in my area I'll go out and grab a spadefoot. BTW, FR I'll be in Sierra Vista tomorrow on a banzai work run. I'll try and swing by that "area" that burned. I doubt it though. Headed to N. Cal for some scouting for next year. Thanks.

PL

Let me know if you see anything, it did get some rain recently, so theres always hope. Have you ever got kicked out of that area? I had to make friends with the ranch foreman. Good luck

What I think is that instinctually, hatchling hogs know what they want to eat. I believe it may depend on locality and what is abundant in the area whrn hogs hatch out. For instance, in one area they are from, toads may be a very abundant prey item where as in another area. Small lizards and rodents may be in great abundance.

What does this have to do with why a half clutch of babies will take ft rodents without a problem and the other half needs some type of scenting agent? Well my theory is that our captive breeding stock is a melting pot of localities, so maybe with some of these hatchling, they instinctively seek out certain scents and recognize it as something to eat. As they grow larger, their prey options broaden and they become less picky or reliant on any one prey item.

Anyway, that is just my personal theory. Mifht be something to consider.

Hi Gregg, I do not disagree with that, but can add more opinions. While in the field. We observe a range of behavior, including prey type. And your right, they do without question, key on whats abundant in a specific local.
But, there is a wide range of most behaviors. Some are sensitive to interference, some are not. Some are bold, some are not, some are fearless some are not, some use the surface often, some do not, for years at a time.
With hognose, its much easier to understand, A wild pair only has to have two offspring survive, say every five years. During that five years, their reproductive potential is from 75 to 200(large well fed female) With that type of recruitment, hognose can consistently cover a wide range of abilities in order to maintain and increase populations. Of course, we can produce for much longer then five years, or not. In my experience, with other colubrids in nature, 3 to 8 years is normal.
With other species, we do have evidence of offspring learning from adults, by observing and following scent trails left by successful adults.

Thanks for the imput guys. I'm going to try rubbing a live pink on a spadefoot toad this week and see how that goes. 2 out 12 ate reg pinks with no scent.

Frank, I was not able to make to the ranch. I left my house at 4a.m. and drove straight to the store. Conducted the dishonest associate interviews I went for and went straight home afterwards. Too tired for any other activities. I'll be in Tucson most likely next week for 2 days but I doubt I'll make it out. Never had a problem with anybody on that ranch.

PL