Help! Im new to hognoses and my female hasn't eaten in going on 3 months!
 

Hi, I'm a first-time hoggie owner and would really love help since I am getting really scared for my new little girl Naja. I have had her for 2 and a half months. I will try and provide as much information as I can on her husbandry and everything. She is a western hognose and is about a year old maybe a little more. When I bought her she was 79g and she is now 73g. When I received her she had been being kept in a 7-quart rack system and i was told she was eating 1-2 frozen unscented every week (fuzzies). He also said that she did not go off food last winter because I had asked if the season could be the cause...

Her temps are from 21 Celsius (70 Fahrenheit) ambient on the cool side to 27 Celsius (81ish Fahrenheit) ambient with thick bedding that goes to the heat pad that runs at 35-37 Celsius (95- 100 Fahrenheit). I had it from 31-35 Celsius (88-95 Fahrenheit) but a few different exotic pet-shops I went to as well as a vet suggested I boost it. I am regulating it using a "Jump Start" thermometer which turns the heat pad on and off). I also have a point and shoot temp gun to double check the thermometer is working correctly. I took her to a vet however the vet had little to no knowledge of hognoses (she admitted this) and could only inform me on ball pythons (which I own one of and who is thriving). I have tried a lot of things to get her to eat and nothing seems to be working. The person I bought her from suggested a 7-quart Sterilite container since that's what he had her in and I tried that for a month and a half before moving her back to the 20gallon I originally bought for her. She has seemed far happier there so I've had her there for the past month. It is also far easier to maintain temperatures and humidity because it got really humid in the smaller container. She has loads hides as well as about an inch to an inch and a half of aspen bedding which she makes tunnels in and seems to enjoy burrowing in. I also have a lamp on top of her tank to add a bit more ambient temperature because it is winter where I am. It goes on and off on on a timer. On for 5 minutes every 20-30 minutes.

She is out and about a lot and I often see her moving about the enclosure. She has also shed 1 time since I've had her and it was an AMAZING full shed with eye caps and all. But she hasn’t pooped once.
I have offered a large variety of things usually a week apart because I read that I should give her space after trying something new. So far i have offered, frozen unscented, frozen brained, boiled egg, frozen scented (I have scented with canned tuna and with toad on all scented items), a rat pup, i even offered a live to see if shed strike at it or seem interested and if she did, i was planning on killing it humanely and offering it. I hadn't wanted to just put a live in since i was worried it'd hurt her as well as cause undo stress on the rodent. She did not strike but did seem curious so i killed it and left it in overnight and she didn't take it, i also bought a pre-killed scented and she was equally uninterested.
I have tried teasing her to strike at the mouse several times normally I give up after a few minutes of no interest, one time she was willing to play dead before striking. I tried to put it in her mouth when she did that but she spat it out and by then I was feeling terrible for stressing her out so I left her alone after that. I have also tried leaving the mouse in her enclosure over night, over the day, and sometimes both hoping the smell might entice her. I also tried putting her in a small dark tub with the mouse overnight and she still did not eat it.

I am really at a loss and have no clue what else to do. I'm so scared she will die but I'm not sure what more to do for her. Please if anyone has any advice I will readily take it.

I have also included pictures on her, her shed, her enclosure, and the sterilite container I used as her previous enclosure.

The lamp is probably messing her up. On for 5, off for 25? Makes no sense.

Change substrate to sand. Play sand from Walmart is ok. Get rid of the heating pad. They don't work very well.

Have the lamp on one side of the tank with a UV bulb on for 10-12 hours a day. Leave the other side with no lamp and hiding places. This way, snake can choose between cool and warm side.

For feeding - thaw out mouse as regular. Then, soak in warm (not hot) chicken broth for 10-15 minutes. Then, put mouse in deli cup (or something small like a Tupperware container with holes for breathing) and put snake in as well. This way, snake can't move very much, and if it does, it encounters food. I've used the chicken broth method on hognoses and corn snakes.

The setup you show and temps appear fine to me. How are you attempting to feed her (ie in her enclosure or in a separate box)? What times are you offering food?

I have a few snakes that are finicky eaters (not hogs), where I have to put them in a small box overnight with the food. A small box keeps them closer to the food (ie stopping them from running from it).

I have tried leaving it in her tank as well as putting her and her food in a small box overnight and i also tried the same thing in the morning for 2 hours with a scented mouse

Use the chicken broth idea. It's worked for me for multiple snakes.

Ill grab mice as soon as the roads clear and give it a shot! Thank you guys for all the suggestions ill let you know if this works! Ill try it bith in the deli cup again as well as in her tank

She unfortunately did not take it, im going to try again but attempt one was not taken

Do hognoses not go into a winter dormancy period? (Brumation?) I'm pretty new myself and haven't had a hognose but I feel like I have read that somewhere.

My hogs never had any light, just a heat pad.
My one finicky eater stopped eating for a while and I ended up taking Vienna Sausage juice, hot from the microwave, and letting a f/t mouse sit in it until the mouse was really nice and warm. She snatched that baby up and continued to eat after that.

Ill give vienna sausage juice a shot! Thank you, Ill let you know how it goes

How is your snake doing?

She still hasnt eaten, I talked to my vet again and she told me about a powdered mix for snakes that I could try tube feeding her with, i dont know how i feel about that but I am going to mix some of the powder into her water, it wont be much but I figure its at least some calories

Make sure she does not get dehydrated. If she does she will probably not start eating. I soak my non eaters in warm water half a day to hydrate them. Over the years I have tried many scents for obstinate babies and salmon water, Vienna sausage water and frog or toad scent seems to pull most of them through. I have read many times to not use frog of toad but I never had problems switching them back to no scent. It is better to have one eating with a little scent than a dead one. Good luck.

The enclosure looks a bit bigger than I've seen.

I wouldn't suggest the sand personally.

I'm also not opposed to the simplest answer here.... Maybe, nothing is wrong. Mine went without eating for more than six weeks, then just started eating again. Then stopped for another three weeks.

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@jhh273 - Ive actually justvput in a larger waterbowl so she can soak in it because she had seemed to like soaking when I took her out to soak her. When i have the stuff in her water ive been soaking her, what it dosnt have the powder she ends up soaking herself and swimming in the water bowl but if you think i should do it on those days to I will. I havent tried Salmon water uet but I certainly will.

@kale5011 - I could try making it smaller if you think itd help, but ive been wondering if it is that as well. But if it is just because of winter will snakes over do that? Or will they start eating before winter ends? Is it the same as a stress feeding stike?

Many years ago I had a pair of W. hognose snakes & they didn't eat all that well in winter. Keep in mind that snakes know it's winter not just by temperatures but also by the length of the daylight. Not necessarily a light right over her cage though...might try a 'daylight' bulb going in the room? I used UTH for mine in 10 gal. (separate) aquariums, & used Carefresh for a substrate. It allows them to burrow, but doesn't have the drawbacks of sand. I agree with enclosing reluctant feeders in a bag or container with dead prey overnight, sorry that didn't work. It's discouraging for such a small snake to lose weight, as they don't have much to spare.

I have tube-fed my share of snakes over many years, even tiny ones- it's not that hard and better than trying to force-feed prey into a snake's mouth. I can give you pointers if you like. One such snake I had to do that with was a Texas longnose snake that I got from a pet store: it wouldn't eat for them & I knew it needed help...I traded them one of my young corn snakes for it, a well-started easy pet they could actually sell. I still have that longnose, he's about 32" long and about 16 1/2 years old now. They are lizard feeders by nature, but as a c/b, he had been started on pink mice, it's just that the pet store had no luck or patience. After I settled him in at home & he refused normal prey items, I gave him a tube-feeding. After that, he perked up and wanted real food a week later. I never had to do it again, though I can't promise you that of course.

What's important about tube-feeding is that it gives a snake that's weak from not eating enough energy to FEEL like eating again. It's like being in a hospital without an I.V. to get your energy back when you're sick & have no appetite...you need that boost to stay out of a downward spiral. FYI, I use Gerbers chicken babyfood thinned with a little water so it's thin enough to go thru the tubing*. (*use a human urethral catheter of appropriate diameter, attached to syringe -without needle, of course) Lubricate the catheter with a tiny dab of olive oil (or similar edible oil), & you can add a drop or two to the liquid baby-food too. You need to be gentle, but firm & patient too...keep the snake level or with the head up slightly afterward as you put them back into the cage, as what goes in can slide back out pretty easily...

Thank you so much for that advice, if she dosnt start eating soon I will try that.

Hi! So she still hasnt eaten but the weirdest thing is happening. Shes gained nearly 4 grams in the past few weeks and this is without the mix in her water. Im not sure whats happening with this... she also seems to be going into shed again

She's over a year old, right? I wonder if she's eggbound? Did your vet do any scans? (x-ray or ultrasound) Some snakes produce infertile eggs without ever breeding, and it can sometimes cause real problems too.

I think shes almost exactly a year old

How much time since she shed last?

About a month

I asked because snakes that are trying to heal (recover) from something (injury etc) often shed more frequently, & a previous post implied she was shedding unusually often. It's just something to keep in mind as a symptom, it won't tell you specifically what the issue is.

You also mentioned she likes to soak in the water...which is also often (but not always) a symptom of a snake that has mites. (I think you'd have seen them on her though? Tiny dark black or reddish specks...) The soaking might also be an indication that she is too warm...especially if you're using an overhead light on a small enclosure. Have you switched to (regulated) UTH yet? Snakes need temperature options in their cages...they need to be able to choose & move between warmer & cooler temperatures as they would in the wild to regulate their body functions. Is she able to do that?
Snakes can't talk so we have to interpret what their behavior is telling us.

Ive only seen one shed from her in the time ive had her I had just been surprised to see ot at the time because she hadnt been eating. She does like to soak but I havent seen any mites, I gave her a pretty good look over when I bought her as well as whenever I take her out. The vet also looked her over and didnt notice any so if their there, their cant be many.

I do have a under tank heater and I have removed the heat lamp as of 3 weeks ago. She should be able to thermo regulate but I can try and make it easier for her to do so. Honestly other then the non eating she seems to act completely normal for what i would expect anyway which is why I am so confused. Do you think I should put slightly cooler water (only a little still close to room temp) in so if she does soak to cool down she can do so more efficiently? Alot of people ive talked to seem to suggest moving her back to the small 7 quart tub so Ive done that but I still have a under tank heater with the hot spots at 85ish. Its harder to make a temp gradient with these but ive been trying to keep the average temp in the bin around 80-85. Do you think thats okay? I still have 2 hides one on either side and a bowl she can soak in.

I realize that tubs work great for many breeders, but it's hard to observe what's going on with a snake without being invasive (causing them stress). I'd stick with the cage she was in- every time you move a snake to a new cage, it can set them back, just as handling them can (until they are feeding regularly & easily). But maybe re-think the substrate & hides to offer a better sense of security. Substrate snakes can burrow into (like Carefresh, or even manually-shredded & "fluffed" paper towels or other clean paper) might help. You might try using substrate that is about 2" deep so she can actually tunnel. (still use "hides" though)

Water temperature: not an issue, IMO. Use cold tap water only, as hot water has contaminants from the hot water tank; it will soon reach the ambient cage temperature anyway.

She might not feel "secure" with the hides you've provided: aesthetics aren't important to the snake...feeling "secure" is. Most snakes prefer (& may NEED) hiding places that they can just squeeze into, hides that offer "back pressure" (they don't like big dramatic doorways or high ceilings...they don't read "House Beautiful", lol) and you might try offering things like the cardboard tube from paper towels with one end plugged, or any other small safe container that meets the requirements. Cardboard cannot be cleaned & must be tossed when dirty, which can be both a plus (easy) or a negative (keep an eye out for & save replacements). I like using small cardboard hides for small or baby snakes...you can modify easily & cheaply.

Handling: "...whenever I take her out..." this could very well BE the problem. Never handle a snake that isn't feeding, until it's feeding regularly & easily at least 3 consecutive times for "best results".

Mites: very hard to see, but much easier on light colored snakes. No such thing as "only a few" though: they multiply exponentially & can kill even bigger snakes from dehydration & blood loss. Vets don't have time to look everywhere...many of us use white paper towels with new snakes to help see any problems, and you should always check the water bowl closely when you see a snake soaking, as that's how they often response to the irritation & dehydration from mites. When you change the water, try running it thru a coffee filter to look for mites.

Heat: a warm area of 85-87* is needed for digestion, but keeping the whole cage at 80*+ sounds too high (no place to get away from heat*). In addition, if the "average" temperature is 85* that's telling me it's higher in places*? The smaller the cage (or tub), the harder it is to offer proper thermal gradients. While new & young snakes may need the greater sense of security, that can be remedied with substrate, hides, and even covering the cage or most sides of it so they don't see you hovering. Another thing that makes some snakes "nervous" is if they feel bass notes (vibrations) from music, tv & other human activity like doors closing. Consider that for the location of the cage...quiet location needed for this one.

Hognose eat amphibians and reptiles in the wild (like toxic toads and such). Maybe there is a toad/frog sent you can put on it?

PS I don't own a hognose yet and I don't know if this would work. Just something I've heard along my way of research.