Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Any tricks to switching a hognose from live to f/t pinkies? I don't want to try scenting until all else has failed.

Did you try it yet? You may be surprised. No tricks are needed in the vast majority of cases if the snake is already eating unscented pinkies.

In fact, it is my opinion that hogs are one snake that will eat almost anything. I have had mine eat strips of fish like a garter snake would. There is a video on Youtube of one eating pieces of hard boiled egg.

Yes. We have tried feeding him multiple times. He's new to us. Only had him about 5 weeks. The guy I got him from only fed him live and I can't get live where I live. I have not been trying to handle him yet and try to feed him about once a week. I locked him in the deli cup he was shipped in over night a week or so ago with a brained pinky. He ate it but regurgitated. Just wondering if there was any other tricks to try to get this little guy kicked off eating for me.

There are folks here that probably have more experience with this specific issue with hognose. I have raised about 20 hatchling hognose. Only for one stubborn individual did I have to scent - I used spring water from a tuna can. I washed the thawed pinky and dipped it in the tuna water.

People have used toad scent, salmon scent, sardine scent.

In my experience with colubrids in general, the few that demand live food will often eat F/T when it is scented with something that they like. I do not recall many colubrids that were this picky, but I did have a few Sinaloans that would only eat F/T when scented with lizard tail that I kept frozen for that purpose. The same snakes would eat live unscented mice without issue.

I have also found that f/t mice that have been frozen for less than 3 months are more readily accepted. I am always having frozen mice shipped to me. Expensive because of the shipping, but it works really well. I have rosies that are extremely sensitive to mice that are frozen for too long - the snakes flat out refuse to eat them. Other species like kingsnakes will eat almost anything in any condition.

Another trick is to scent with a live mouse. Soiled bedding from a live mouse can sometimes work. Wash a thawed pink and rub it in the bedding. You can even bring some bedding back from any store from a cage housing live mice, even Petco, (though not all Petco employees will engage you on this..)

There usually aren't any tricks to getting a hog to take a f/t pink, except for time! Hogs can be VERY stubborn. Any change in their decor, temp, surroundings (outside the cage), etc. can throw off their eating... With that said, just let him be for a while and give him time to adapt.

My question for you is this: is he active or does he spent the day hiding? An active snake is usually on the search for food while an inactive snake is either scared or content.

Here's a trick I've used for my stubborn hogs... Take away his water for about a week or two. After you're sure he's thirsty, dip the head of the f/t pinky in some water. As the snake tries to drink the water off the head of the pinky, sometimes they end up eating the pinky!

Another trick, that never fails (and as the other guy suggested), feed him strips of hardboiled eggs. If you're concerned that he isn't getting calcium, then dip it into some reptile calcium. My hogs LOVE hardboiled eggs and usually get them as treats. After taking eggs a couple of times, they usually take to f/t pinks really quick!

I hope some of this is helpful. Just be patient and he should come around in time. You're definitely doing the right thing by asking others for help!

Good luck!.. Jeff L.