Sandy, my new (and 1st) Hognose has been with me in his enclosure now for a little over two weeks. He has plenty of cover and two hides (cooler hide and a warm hide). Temperature gradient runs from a high of 87 to a low 77. He ate like a champ this Monday without any issue. I have him on a timed day/night cycle as well.
However, with the exception of coming out to look for food and initially exploring his enclosure on his 1st day he seems to be nesting under the substrate behind his cool hide. Should he generally be more active or is this normal?
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Nah snakes love to find a small place to hide where they feel safe. Especially young/baby snakes that would still be on the menu for most anything with a mouth predator wise.
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Sandy is 3 years old. When he is out, he seems normal- investigating, drinking water, digging, etc…
My bad in the initial post- it has been over 1 week since I brought him home. On Monday he came out and looked like he was on a mission- very alert, looking around. His body language was “I’m hungry, where is the food”? He came right to the front of the enclosure as well. Soon as I introduced the thawed mouse (using tongs) he went into feeding response big time and gobbled that mouse down.
So it is normal for them to hunker down and not be very active most of the time?
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Considering you just fed him I would say this is perfectly normal. My hognoses are way more active than my pythons. But after a meal most snakes won’t be nearly as active as there when they are hungry. Most of mine spend a lot of time underneath the substrate.
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Give him some time, especially if you’ve only had him a week. The fact that he ate for you is a great sign that he is settling in (or just hungry). As he settles in with his new surroundings, I’m sure he’ll start exploring much more. I’d also suggest increasing his hot spot to around 90.
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Tots normal. They all have their own personalities. Some climb, some roam and others hide. NBD! 
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