T-Town Reptiles Scott Kerns

i have never seen a baby hognose before i had no idea, they had no babies at the show other than him, he had 3 they all looked about the same , only after i got her home and weighed her and did some research did i know about the extreme under sized issue....

i got a big male that was 65g at the show all they had were big ones, and he had 3 little ones, 2 males and a female. so i had no idea how big they were supposed to be or not.

Snakes often look big, but weigh very little, especially if they are underfed. The "heft" could've been from the substrate in the deli cup (I've noticed some breeders will use pellets, which weigh quite a bit.) You should always take them out of the cup and check them over. Of course, when you're talking about a matter of grams on a tiny hog hatchling, it can be very difficult to tell without an accurate scale, even if you're experienced with them.
I had a bad experience with another breeder at the same show, concerning western hogs, last year. We bought a pair...the breeder assured us that they were both eating f/t mouse pinks (or pinky heads). Took them home & tried to feed the male right away because he looked so tiny. Thawed him out the tiniest pinky head I could find & after he ate it, he split down his belly (about a third of his total length.) We thought for sure he was going to die...but he didn't. We still have him a year later and he can eat whole (tiny) mouse pinkies now, but still has a horrible scar. We later found out that this was due to trying to feed him while dehydrated. (Breeders who do a lot of shows will transport them without water, often not offer it before the show and often forget after the show.) The female had a bad kink in her, but she ate right away with no problems...however, a month later, she just stopped eating. I tried scenting with frogs & even offering lizard tails, but to no avail. She died. I think that her kink was so bad that, after growing for a bit, it was just too much for her.
I share this story for two reasons: 1) If you buy an animal (especially a tiny hatchling) from a show...get them setup, with a water bowl available, and let them get settled in for a few days before trying to feed. Stress is a big factor with these guys and the littler ones get more stressed than the big ones. 2) If you are a breeder...don't sell substandard animals, even for "low, low" prices...thinking that *maybe* the snake will be okay. If you hatch out a baby with a BAD kink...just do it (and your customers) the favor of putting it out of its misery!