Hi Gene,
It's quite normal for adult hognoses to go off feed in winter. The daylight hours shorten and the temperatures drop - I think both of these factors serve as signals telling the hognoses it's time to stop feeding and brumate.
As to brumation, I think you'll find that most hognose breeders brumate their stock as it seems to increase fertility/decrease incidence of slugs. I've seen anecdotal evidence of successful clutches sans brumation, but I personally brumate my hogs as it mimics their natural conditions - and because people that have been doing this a lot longer than I have say it yields the best results.
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