I am having so much trouble getting my western hognose to eat. I’ve only been able to get her to eat ONCE. It was a live pinky. Before that I tried frozen pinkies, scenting the pinkies with frog or sardine scent and even frog reptilinks. I just tried feeding her another live and she still wont eat. Im extremely concerned as shes only about 3 months old and I have had her for two months. Ive tried taking her out of her enclosure and putting her in a deli cup with the food and leaving the food overnight. I dont know what else to do. My other hognose eats with no concern so I know it does not have to do with her environment. Please help!
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What does her enclosure look like? How big is it?
Oftentimes a baby hog will not eat if the enclosure is too big. They need to be kept in small 6-12 quart sterilite bins, like the ones you’d use as a shoebox.
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What are the temps you’re keeping her at?
I’ve got some 3 month old hatchlings that I’ve only offered unscented and toad scented to so far. I find that when a keeper starts trying every trick in the book too soon, it causes them a ton of stress. How often are you offering her food? When I have hatchlings that are picky eaters, I offer food less often. A normal hatchling is fed on a 4 - 6 day rotation here. If it’s one that’s refused/not eaten, I’ll offer food every 6 or 7 days.
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Can you add a picture and size of the enclosure? Often the main problem with picky feeders is too big of an enclosure or not enough cover.
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What works for one animal doesn’t always work for others. As others have said, we need to know about her husbandry/enclosure completely if you want us to be able to help.
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This is her enclosure. Warm side is kept at around 85 and cool side stays around 70. She has recently shed for the first time since Ive had her about two weeks ago as well. It was a perfect shed.
Also the bin size is 16qt is that too big?
I first tried unscented for the first month and a half I would try once a week. When I tried with the live pinky her feeding instincts immediately kicked in once she saw it. Just not the second time I tried. I added a picture of her enclosure and her heating levels below.
I would downgrade her to a 6 qt, 16 is huge for a snake that tiny. The ambient temperature should be closer to 76 - 78 and her hot spot should be close to 90. Once you’ve got that set up, leave her for a week to settle in, then try offering food again.
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Thank you! I will try that and update in a couple weeks.
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Also make sure to get her hides that are only with one opening and are small enough to where she barely fits in them. A half log does not count as an adequate hide. Make sure not to handle her at all until she is feeding too, unless you absolutely have to, like when clean the tub and such.
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I agree with this, for hides the bottom of a flower pot with an entrance works great since they’re small and you can find them easily.
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