Hello! I just got a tricolor hognose and am having a little trouble deciding whether to feed her mice or something else considering her size. She is small, about as wide as a fat Ticonderoga pencil. Any advice or help is very useful.
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Would freshly newborn pinkies still be too big for her? It’s a bit gruesome, but you can always chop f/t pinkies into smaller pieces.
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Could you provide us with a picture?
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@hognoseheaven Baby corn snakes can eat pinkies so without seeing your hog, I would think it can easily eat a pinkie
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Did you ask whomever you purchased her from what she was eating? If not, you need to do that first.
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Yes, I was told day old pinkies.
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I would start with that to make sure she’s feeding in your care using day old pinkies, then consider varying her diet later on. Last thing you want with a new animal is to change too many things at once. Also, if I remember, you have another hognose. Do be sure this one is kept quarantined in a separate space for at least 30 but ideally around 60-90 days.
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Its a little barbaric but if you can get xsm (day old) pinkies f/t and cut off their head you can start on that if youre unsure. Its what I do for my small kingsnake hatchlings and it works pretty well as long as they are actually interested in eating.
I’d hope that after a few of those meals your baby will be big enough to eat a whole pinky, best of luck!
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You definitely, definitely should begin by feeding whatever she was eating before you got her, preferably in exactly the same way for the first feeding. If she normally ate a warm, ft day-old pinky in a deli around sunset in her previous home, offer that at least the first two or three times in her new home. Her whole world has changed. Keep her feeding routine the same until she is feeding reliably for you.
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