Saphire4260
New member
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.
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.
