Eggs for Hognoses?

Hey everyone!

So last night, I was feeding my 3 hoggies, and forgot to thaw out 2 pinkies for one of them like normal, and wanted to try a quail egg out.

None of mine are big enough to eat them however so I cracked the egg in a spoon and offered to my largest male Gimli and he drank most of it!

I knew they’d eat eggs but as he’s never been offered any, I didn’t think he’d drink it.

I’ve also heard people offer them fish?

And here’s picture of my 3 for tax!



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So egg as far as I know is only fine if given occasionally as it is not enough to sustain them nutritionally. I only give some of my colubrids hard boiled egg pieces as a rare treat in between meals, and most of them don’t even show interest.

I wouldn’t risk fish as there is the possibility of parasites/diseases, but someone may say differently. Its just my preference not to.

Just stick to pinkies and they’ll be ok.

Edit: Disreguard what I said about pinky mice, I should have thought about it more. Yes Hognose Snakes should have a varied diet, I was mainly saying what I did in the thought that you should not risk just feeding them anything. Eggs are good as occasional meals, poultry hearts are good, raw tilapia is good, reptilinks are good and they come in a variety of different kinds but they are more expensive, and mice are good… I know of some who will breed toads for the sole purpose of offering a natural diet to Hoggies but thats not ideal for everyone and if the breeding is not done responsibly disease and parasites can be a problem.

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Most won’t drink egg, your boy seems to be the rare exception. Some folks will give whole quail eggs, or scrambled (cooked without any added oil or otherwise). As for fish, if you plan to offer that, you’re going to want to avoid anything that contains thiaminase. You can find various lists online of thiaminase free fish, but some that you can get from the store are tilapia and salmon. You have to be careful with any supplemental feeder items, as these are not always nutritionally balanced. Keep an eye on weight, body condition, the way their poop looks, etc.

Parasites and disease are really only an issue if you’re using live feeder fish (which shouldn’t be used as most species contain thiaminase), most fish given to hognoses is store bought and safe for human consumption.

Hognoses are actually one of the species that benefit from a varied diet. They’re meant to eat frogs and toads in the wild, mice have a higher fat content and the way we feed in captivity can lead to health issues and a shortened lifespan.

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I believe that the iodine in some fish may be harmful to snakes if I remember correctly……

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You may be thinking of thiaminase, which when consumed breaks down thiamin (vitamin b1) and can cause a deficiency.

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THAT’S it! Thank you Jess! I should have looked it up before I answered but I knew someone would help me out!

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Yeah, I would only give eggs as a treat or maybe once a month or so.

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So for fish, giving raw or cooked fish like salmon or tilapia would be fine every once in a while?

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I usually give raw, and yes, totally fine now and again. Other things you can offer are chicken or quail hearts, or Reptilinks, as well. The latter are a bit more expensive (and not always accepted by snakes), and I haven’t tried them with my hoggies, but one of my corns loves them.

Edit: Do remember, feed sparingly and ideally weigh what you feed. You don’t want them gorging on a huge amount and it’s pretty easy with non-traditional food items to overfeed.

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I invested in Reptilinks for a stubborn hoggie once and he turned up his already turned up little nose at them. That was an expensive experiment! :weary:

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