Hey guys. I’m sorry to post another hognose won’t eat post. But I too have one of those things that just won’t eat. I have a male in a tank near by that eats just fine but goes off food every once in a while and this female used to be a great eater for me. She used to be plump and wouldn’t shy away from musking on me. Now she’s lost weight. I’ve had to force feed her once in the past months. She refuses food. And I’m worried she’s too far gone or has an impacted scent gland. I need some advice on what I should do. I love her so much and don’t wanna lose her. She’s still so young. I’ve also noticed her movements have become a little erratic. I’ve never seen this in my hognoses before.
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Vet visit immediately if you can, see if there’s an underlying cause for the extreme weight loss because that’s not normal and I’d be worrying about organs shutting down. The erratic movement is concerning, especially.
Check your enclosure parameters, make sure your temps are correct. Then you’re going to want to try a smaller feeder if you haven’t already. How long have you had this snake, and do you quarantine all your animals when you get them? How long did it take for it to get to this body condition?
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So I’ve had her for over a year. IMO she’s a lot smaller than she should be. The only changes I’ve made since having her is I started her in a quarantine tank on paper towel and recently my house’s central heat has broken, but she has heat going to her tank regardless. Then for a while, she was on aspen. And then for the past year, I’ve had her on paper towels again. It’s taken a really long time for her to lose this weight it wasn’t a quick or overnight weight loss. I’ve just recently noticed a slight bulge around the cloaca. I’m going to set her up with a whole new UTH and I actually have a new PVC enclosure for her on the way. When I first got her she was a complete powerhouse and always ate and even surpassed my male hognoses in food size. Within the past month or so I’ve noticed she hasn’t been musking on me when I hold her, which is usually her go to. I try to keep her tank in the 80s.
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ALSO before I force-fed her any time I would offer food she would almost gag. at least it looked like gagging.
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So there are a lot of problems here. One, hognoses should not be kept on paper towels beyond a quarantine period. They are a burrowing species, they need substrate, decor, hides, water, etc. She’s not going to eat if she doesn’t feel comfortable. Two, not trying to be mean, but realistically you’re asking for help really late, she should not have been allowed to get to this body condition. What did her “gagging” look/sound like? Did you leave the mouse in with her or just try to feed directly? As for heat, how are you heating her current enclosure and how are you measuring the temperatures?
My immediate recommendation is get substrate in that enclosure now, put her in with hides/decor/water, and the smallest size f/t you have and leave her alone overnight.
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She has hides and decor and water. Her “gagging” didn’t have a sound but it was as if she would open her mouth to the mouse in front of her but not take it and kind of move away from it. I’ve tried moving the mice in front of her. I’ve tried leaving it in overnight. She has an UTH with a thermostat. and I check it with a digital laser thermometer.
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I’ve tried feeding in her enclosure and out of her enclosure. I’ve put most of my efforts into feeding in her enclosure though as that’s what she was comfortable with before.
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She still needs to be able to burrow, that’s not an optional thing here and could possibly be a very large part of the problem. Hides/decor/water do nothing if she can’t hide & exhibit natural behaviors. As for the mouth opening, did you ever try to place the mouse in her mouth? At this point, you need a vet, because she’s starving to death. Whether it’s parasites, illness, or something else, that’s your best option. I’d also consider looking on the main MorphMarket site for any hognose breeders or other snake breeders near you who could possibly help get her feeding again.
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ill make the appointment asap. I did try to place the mouse in her mouth every time and shed always move away from it.
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With that I’d then worry that maybe she was opening her mouth due to breathing issues. Hopefully the vet visit will help with any possible ailments, and they can also give you treatment options. Also definitely reach out to either a local breeder, reptile rescue, anyone who might have experience with problem feeders. With luck she’ll start eating soon.
You might also try something like fish, salmon or tilapia, to see if she’ll take a different kind of food.
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If it’s just a feeding issue and not health, some other things to try besides salmon or tilapia:
- Scenting the mouse (raw egg, tuna juice, chicken hearts)
- Other foods like chicken hearts, scrambled egg (just egg, lightly cooked)
- Blacking out 3 sides of the enclosure
- Take her for a car ride before attempting to feed
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Her new enclosure is actually due to be here sometime this week, probably tuesday. It’s a PVC enclosure with only the front being clear and I hope that helps her feel a bit more comfy than the glass enclosure she’s been in. I live in NY and its pretty cold here would the temp change bamboozle her too much if I try the car ride? I’m gonna call my local reptile businesses to see if they have anyone that can help me out in person.
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Temp shouldn’t be an issue if you’ve got her in a container with insulation like paper towel and are going from building to warm vehicle to building, though if that isn’t possible just skip that one.
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I forgot to mention, do keep us updated, there’s always more folks who may see the post + add tips. I hope she decides something is good enough to eat soon!
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UPDATE: so like I said in my last post I was moving her into her new pvc enclosure. The cages are amazing and I think she may feel more secure in it. I didn’t change much to her husbandry other than I was force feeding her once a week. I force fed her on the same day about the same time every week for about 2 weeks. Today I offered her her normal meal that she should take just to see if she was interested. I offered the meal before resorting to force feeding every time btw. Today instead of being completely disinterested she opened her mouth a little. I’m not sure if she was expecting to be force fed but I helped her open it a little more by putting the head of the mouse a little more inside. Barely helping btw not like a true assist feed. And SHE TOOK IT!!! She’s still not quite back to her huffy and puffy self however I think we’ll get her back there in no time. Shes still acting a bit ditsy if that makes sense, but much better than before. Also here’s some pics of my male too because he’s a show off and loves his num noms.
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That is great! One thing that may help with consistency is feeding in her enclosure. I am so happy about her eating and I can’t wait to see her as a full grown, gorgeous adult.
I would remove the pics with the mouse present as it is against community guidelines. I with they weren’t as they are so adorable! Hognoses eating will cheer up anyone.
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Linguini felt like she was getting too much attention and we need to be reminded he’s the best boy so here’s more of him if anyone’s interested.
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OH I forgot to mention. Since the original post and her being moved into her new enclosure she’s now had access to UVB. I dont know if she’s made much use of it as I can’t watch her 24/7 cuz of work but that was something new.
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Awww! Linguini looks either pouty or grumpy and it’s fabulous. He’s just so cute!
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I’m glad to see that your snake took a meal. Congratulations on that! I know it was a good feeling. Have you been able to get her in to see the vet yet?
Sorry, @emichelle010 , but @logar is right about the feeding picture being against community guidelines. I’ve removed that one for you.
Your snakes are cuties. 
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