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Baby Hognose feeding troubles.. Please Help!!!

A

Adatown616

Guest
I recently purchased a baby hognose from Great Valley Serpentarium. link to their site www.snakemuseum.com Anyways i purchased a baby female that was eating live pinkys once a week. Ive had her about a month now, and Ive only got her to eat twice. The day I got her she took a f/t pinky. And wouldnt after that so I got her a live pinky and it took her 2 weeks then she ate it. Now its been like 8 days and she isnt eating again. Her cage is set up perfect. 80-85 basking spot 70-74 cool spot. clean water dish hide aways ect. Ive tried splitting the pinkys head, overheating, scenting with tuna. and she could careless, just crawls over it like its a toy. Please Help me :(:(:(
 
A few other things to try with westerns - scenting with a toad/frog/salmon. I've had one western that refused everything else but lizards (anoles).

I'd bump up the temps a few degrees also.
Good luck, Ryan
 
I got her a under tank heating pad today and went from a 75 watt to a 100 watt red light basking bulb. Im going to wait a couple days and try to scent with a anole. Thanks for you help. =)
 
What size cage is she in? What are the room temps she's in? And what are you using to measure temps? A 60 watt light bulb produces a hot spot of well over 90 degrees in any situation I've used them in. A 100 watt bulb will almost certainly make snake jerky in anything smaller than a 55 gallon aquarium.

I would not resort to scenting since your really just taking steps backward on an already established feeder. I'd double check those temps with something that will give you a better temperature reading like a temp gun. Make sure her temps are measured right and are within a good range.

Also, calm down. A hognose that has refused 1-2 times in a month isn't an emergency. Remember she has eaten at least twice. Calm down and build on that.
 
She is in a 20 tall, Which I thought could be the problem, except she seems to love her cage, shes always digging in the calcium sand, or climbing up her tree. I use red heat bulbs and they tend to not get as hot as a regular spot light basking. I have stick on thermometers on both ends of her tank, and used a digital thermometer when i first set up the tank. I live in a older farmhouse and it is winter here in Michigan. So its a bit chilly in my room, prolly 65ish, but the snakes are kept away from any windows and are blocked off from any drafts. So their tank temps dont seem to be affected. I certainly do not want to resort to full time scenting so ill take your advice and hold off for now, but my only concern is her not eating regularly on a schedule, Everything I read says Hognose babies should eat every 4-5 days and shes at like 9-14 days.
 
The problem with a 20H is that hognose are a terrestrial and fossorial (burrowing) snake. Since it's a baby I would consider either a plastic shoebox, or one of those clear shallow critter keepers like this...http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/kritter-keepers-and-cricket-containers/-/medium-exo-terra-reptile-den-flat-home/

Place the last 1/4 - 1/3 of this enclosure over a reptile heat pad set to between 85-90 deg. I would seriously consider picking up a tempgun like the PE1 from pro exotics ($25), LLLreptile carries these as well. Stick on thermometers and digital weather thermometers measure cool sides OK, but really stink at measuring the surface temperature of the basking area (which is very important).

A set up like this will last a year of two, then the snake can be moved to a larger enclosure. I would recommend a 15 gallon or a 20 long since the 12" height makes creating a proper thermal gradient a lot easier. 20H tend to lose there heat gradient since the cage is so high compared to it's length. The bulb will just heat the whole cage up instead of just a small area at the surface.
 
If I got one of those critter keepers, I wouldn't be able to offer a basking spot with a heat light though. Would the under tank heat pad be good enough? Would a critter keeper be better then a 10 gallon? And what do you think about Calcium sand vs. Aspen shavings. Im using calcium sand now, and it almost seems to dry, a little dusty. But the snake seems to like burrowing in it.
 
Your 20H could still be a very suitable enclosure, I just prefer smaller cages for baby snakes. I would just worry about her being overheated in a 20H with a bulb over 60 watts. Hognose aren't good climbers and her high amount of activity may be her trying to get away from the heat. I would try a lower watt bulb like a 25 watt red bulb for a little background heat until summer comes along. This along with an undertank heater should be able to produce temps in an ideal range for a hoggie.

I'd still have to recommend picking up a temp gun. Mine is the BEST reptile related purchase I have ever made. And switch her to aspen, it's just a lot better for the snake, she'll burrow in it too.
 
A friend of mine is going to let me use his Small Exo-Terra tank for her to see if it helps, Also I switched all my snakes to aspen. Her eyes got cloudy yesterday so it looks like shes going into a shed. Hopefully its a easy shed for her and she starts eating when its over. Thanks alot for your help Garweft. I will post again when she sheds to let you if shes eating.
 
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