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why isnt my western hognose eating????

L

ladyserpent7

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she hasnt eaten for two months and its freaking me out i think its the weather but im not sure im afraid it might be an infection or something serious like that
 
Can you provide some specifics?

How old is she?
What was she eating before she went off feed?
How is she being kept? - Temps, etc..
 
yeah i got her on sep. 11 and i feed her every monday once a week...a fuzzy. she was doing fine; the only week she didnt eat was when she shed which i know is normal, but A few weeks after that when the weather started changing she got a cold, at least I think she did cuz she used to sneeze, but then she got over that, and still after a month after her cold she wouldnt eat. i know its not the temp in her tank cuz its exactly the way it should be 80-85 or just a couple deg. more in the afternoon and below 80 at night, so she shouldnt be going into hibernation. i dont know whats up with her.
 
How far below 80 is it getting at night?

If she was fat to start with she should be fine for a few weeks. Some of the babies hardly eat at all until the spring after they hatch. At least some of mine have been that way.

If it's cold where she is that will put her off feeding too. You need to get a temp gun or place a thermometer so that you can monitor both the high and low in your tank.

Can you post pics of your set up and snake?
 
not to try to sound dumb, but this is actually the first time i have internet... yes i know im living in the 21st century, so i dont know how to post pics. and as for my snake, shes pretty thick, probably since i feed her fuzzys and not pinkies and its been two months she hasnt eaten and she doesnt look anywhere close to emaciated. She has an undertank heater on one side and when its colder it the afternoon i turn on her heat lamp (that is, when i dont have the heater on in the house) on the other so she could bask. At night it gets about 75 deg., maybe 70 if the day is really cold, but definitely never lower than that. Believe me, I check freq.
 
What size tank is she in? What wattage bulb are you using? What store did you get her from? I live in So. Cal. so I may know something of where she came and that can tell a lot about whether she's healthy or not.

Don't worry about being new to the net, you're hardly alone.
 
Shes in a 20gal long. I use a 40w, a red light. The store is called tropical Imports, or tropical fish... they changed it. I live in LA too, and ive seen that store in more than one places, so you might know what im talking about, and thanks
 
By the way, Im going to try to feed her tomorrow, a monday, and hopefully shes back to normal. I was reading some of the other threads and it seems that all hognose owners are having this problem, so it might just be this species... i hope. Wish me luck! :)
 
What part of L A are you in? If you're close enough I'd be happy to take a look at it and see if I can help out. I've been keeping and breeing these little buggers for quite a while.
 
If the temp is dropping at night, even if it's in the 80s during the day it could cause your snake to go off feed. The length of daylight could also be causing it. There is always the problem of parasites and bacterias that may have been gotten from your mice.

If the store you got it from is on Victory there is a chance that your snake is one of my babies.
 
no its on colorado and chevy chase, but you neve know could still be one of your babies. but isnt the temp supposed to drop at night?do you think it could be that she isnt eating cuz its winter?
 
You can keep the hotspot stable and around 90 all the time. It is not necessary for them to have the drop. That could be the reason right there. When did she shed last?
 
thanks ill take your advice, and get a thermometer tomorrow. i dont think shedding has anything to do with it cuz it was a while after she shed that she stopped eating
 
i tried to feed her yesterday...didnt work:( i tried so many ways: in the tank w/ a live, in a box w/ a live, in a box prekilled. Nothing. Next week im going to try a different method; cut a slash on the head of the mouth so the scent of the brain will come out. A specialist suggested that. Hope it works. Wish me luck.
 
You really should try each method at least over night.

One of mine still likes split heads, as they're called when you brain them, but they will switch.

If you're trying half a dozen different ways of feeding all in the same day that could be causing some stress too.

Try putting it in a brown paper bag, like a lunch sack, with the pinky and leave it in the bag over night. Just put the bag back in the cage so if the snake gets out it is in its cage.
 
Yah ill try the paper bag thing, if the split head method doesnt work. I guess youre right about the half dozen different ways of feed all in the same day thing, but its cuz i try to feed her in the store. i used to bring the mouse home, even when she stopped eating, i tried to feed her at home, but i just felt bad killing a mouse and then her not eating it. ive killed one too many mice like that. Once she starts eating again, if she starts eating again, ill start feeding her at home like old times
 
Out of the four that I kept this year, one of them has only eaten twice on its own and both times were splitheads in a bag overnight. I don't check them at all until the next morning and even then if they haven't eaten I leave them the rest of the day because sometimes they eat during the day.

If she's still fat she's probably ok. If you can get a pic posted.
 
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