Hi everyone on here , i’m a new snake owner and did as much research as i can before getting my little guy but i do have some questions just to put my mind at ease, ik it’s common for them to be shy or not very active as baby’s but since i got my little guy i haven’t seen him once in his enclosure, i heard that they are okay to put in an adult enclosure aslong as the feel secure so he has about 3 inches or more of aspen and so much clutter i can barely see the back or floor of the enclosure, i watched even more videos that said that could be a big mistake thought with a larger enclosure so i’ve prepared a smaller tub if that’s the case bc i’ve learned in snake discovery’s youtube that often hognoses who’s problems is their enclosed will eat 2 meals and then go on a hunger strike, it’s been about 4 days since i got him and over a week since he’s been fed as he arrived to me on his feeding days so ive just given him a few days to acclimate and not be as stressed out, i did dig him up yesterday as recommended by the breeds to make sure he was okay as i haven’t seen him and he seemed good he was just curled up in the substrate when i slightly poked him to make sure he was alive he was good he wasn’t fiesty or hissy he was just a chill guy, Im sorry for such a long post but i just needed to know if this is normal for a new baby? he’s only about 4 months old and i keep the temps on the high side, his hotspot stays around 85 and 90 under the substrate and 75 ish on the cool side and im constantly monitoring the temps to make sure everything is perfect, is it normal hognose behavior and im just being paranoid as its my first reptile? i’m just concerned as he doesn’t seem very active and i dont see him but others on here have expressed how their hoggies just love love love to burrow and will stay in there for a week at a time
Just double checking for safety reasons, since it sounds like you’re using a heat mat. This is on a thermostat with the probe between the mat and the enclosure (both on the outside of the enclosure), correct? How are you measuring the temps on the cool side?
As for the rest, you’ve found out why Snake Discovery and others warn about large enclosures with hogs. Yes, it technically can work if they are cluttered enough, but often times it doesn’t. You’ve already noticed the issue of not being able to easily see or check on him. This makes it harder to see any issues, symptoms of illness, and can make feeding more difficult. Hognoses are fossorial, so yes, they do love to burrow and feel safer underground, often staying out of sight for long periods.
Here’s a good guide by a breeder about baby Hoggies:
It may be beneficial to move him into a smaller enclosure until he’s grown up a bit, depending on how big the one you have now is.
Hello yes i have a overhead bulb so that it could evenly spread the heat out since it’s a wider enclosure and pvc so i didnt want to solely rely on the heat pad but i do have one with a thermometer and the prob is below the substrate in his enclosure where he would be just on the side out of his way and i also did get those little thermometers/hydrometers but after i put them in read they aren’t super accurate so i also use just a normal temp reading gun and check if every few hours or so , i did talk to the breeder he recommend to switched him over to a 6 qt bin untill he grows a bit, i did spot him once and he’s about 7-8 inches probably he’s 4 months old and 8 g posted , plan on pickin up the pin and making and easy little set up like the breeder had him in just with a bit more care and enrichment in it
How is the probe secured to the bottom?
This sounds like a great idea. I start all my hognoses in 6qts as well, they do great and you can much more easily keep an eye on them. Do be careful with heating, however. If you use a heat mat in the 6qt, you would need to add feet to elevate the bin and sometimes it’s hard to get the mat to stick to the bin itself. It should also cover no more than 50% of the bottom, and you’ll need to be more aware of temperatures as there’s not really as much room for a proper gradient so it’s easier to overheat.
how much elevation is needed when using a bin? i figured it would be harder to keep a good temp gradient thats why i was concerned about moving him, breeder said he used one and kept it at 85 the whole time and he was all good, would the ceramic bulb not work well if i put it like 6 or more inches above , i do know belly heat is impotent but that overheat w a heating mat at around 84 to not be too much might not be a bad idea? plz do correct me if i’m wrong im just not entirely sure how to start measuring the temps in the bin other than having to take the lid off and disturb him , that or just do the same set up the breeder had him at put that mat directly under at 85
It doesn’t need to be elevated too much, many heat mats actually come with adhesive enclosure feet to give you that gap. You can also pick up some adhesive furniture feet at most hardware stores.
This would be fine, just needs to be set up properly.
with the bulb it would heat the whole enclosure and be at much greater risk of overheating. Bulbs are not a great choice.
Mat directly under at 85 on the thermostat, probe between mat & bin. Mat should cover no more than 50% of the bottom. Little sticky feet on the corners of the bin to give a small air gap. Should give you everything you need, and so long as the mat is at a stable temperature, you don’t really need to measure the rest of the bin, because it can’t get hotter than the regulated mat.
You should do everything that @noodlehaus has suggested. But just remember that your little guy has just barely gotten to his new home so he has not had nearly enough time to adjust. Sometimes it takes a snake a couple of weeks to realize that it is going to be ok to eat. So when you get his new bin all set up and he has been in it for a week at least then you can offer a meal to him. Getting him adapted to his new environment and feeling safe is more important at first than feeding him.
thank you both so much for the advice , he’s getting set up in the new bin today, woulda done it last nite but life got in the way with other things but eve thing should be set up good for him soon the same way he was before and i’ll just give him a bit more time to really make sure he’s comfortable and feels safe so he can get eating
he’s all set up in there, excuse the paper towel on the side it was an improvised job to block out 3 sides, good news he didn’t even make a hiss when picking him up to put him in there he’s calm abt it
Not sure he’s a really a hognose though seeing how much he wants to climb up the sides instead of burrowing
That’s one of the things you learn with hognoses, they can and will climb and try to burrow through the corners of the bin! I often hear clicking from the corner of the room I keep mine in, immediately know what they’re up to. 
Bin looks great, little one looks pleased with it and sounds like he’s settling in well.
It’s great that his little head popped out! He should feel very cozy in that little bin! I would let him live in there for a good while to insure a good feeding response. Later on you can bump him up to an 8qt and so on until he’s ready for his big boy tank! 
