Hognose snakes are gaining popularity in the exotic pet hobby, but many keepers find that managing their diet is among the more challenging aspects of owning one. Unlike herps that take a wide variety of food items, hoggies tend to be picky. How are owners supposed to provide enrichment and diverse nutrition for their pets without risking a hunger strike or wasting food on a picky eater? Reptilinks has helped some keepers overcome this challenge.
Reptilinks are made from ground whole prey, so your hognose will continue to receive the nutrition they need to stay healthy and strong. But to understand what’s best for your hoggie, it’s important to learn about how they live in the wild and how their behaviors inform how to manage their diets.
What Do Hognose Snakes Eat in the Wild?
Hognose snakes are native to large portions of North America, including the US and some parts of Canada and Mexico. As burrowers, hognoses hunt on the ground rather than in trees, which means they are carnivores focused on small mammals. What makes hognose snakes stand out among many other reptiles, though, is their affinity for amphibians.
Due to their terrestrial nature, hognoses are opportunistic feeders, and many amphibians (e.g., frogs, toads, salamanders) are located in a hoggie’s favorite places to rest and explore. Over time, hognose snakes developed specialized teeth to hunt toads. When the toads inflate as a defense mechanism, the hognose’s special, oversized teeth pierce in and “deflate” their prey so they are small enough to consume.
However, many hognose owners struggle to provide for this part of their animal’s preferred diet. Locating high-quality amphibian feeders can be a challenge! This is why some people supplement with Reptilinks or use them as a primary feeder.
Can You Use Reptilinks for Hognoses?
Some owners find that their hognose snakes enjoy Reptilinks more than a standard mouse diet. However, mice are also a nutritionally complete food, and rodents make up a large portion of what your hoggie would eat in the wild. Thus, the best answer for whether to feed your hognose mice or links comes down to what your pet will eat. If your hognose enjoys both, the variety can help to keep them enriched, engaged, and nutritionally supported.
Hognose owners know that sometimes, a mouse being a different color or from a different vendor is all it takes to trigger a hunger strike. For these hoggies, Reptilinks can be a great way to introduce consistency. That’s why some owners report that their hognoses eat more consistently on links, which are always made with the same care no matter the batch.
Hognose snakes can safely enjoy many types of Reptilinks, but we recommend the frog links to mimic their natural diet and trigger their instinctual prey drive for amphibians! The frog links are made with 100% whole ground bullfrog, so no part of the animal is left out of the mix.
The average hognose will take the 5g links, but some larger specimens enjoy the 8g option. Many hognose snakes grow to favor their links because the collagen casing behaves similarly to an inflated toad, emulating that natural behavior of hunting real prey.
How to Introduce Reptilinks to Your Hoggie
If your hognose hasn’t encountered Reptilinks before, that first introduction can be a little intimidating. Hoggies are sensitive to unique smells, and it is entirely normal for your snake to be suspicious of a link the first time you offer it. If your hognose has historically enjoyed rodent prey, Reptilinks’ scent products (such as the ASF rat juice) can trigger their memories of foods they are used to. However, some owners have found that poking a small hole in the collagen casing of the link (similar to braining a mouse) helps to release the smell and prompt a feeding response.
If your hognose isn’t sure about their link, try leaving it in an easily accessible location for a few hours. Some snakes prefer to explore new food items privately and at their own pace. If your hognose turns down their first link, consider rubbing their usual prey on the link to gradually assimilate the scents. Some hoggies who take a link for the first time continue to eat them again and again afterward!
When you’re not using your Reptilinks, they can be frozen alongside your other prey items. This helps to keep them fresh and moist for feeding time.