I’ve had my hognose for about a month and a half. He was about a month old when I got him. He ate fantastic for me three times (FT pinkies). All three times he ate in his enclosure, no problem at all, all about 5 days apart. The last time he ate for me, which was over a month ago now, the pinkie was on the larger side, closer to fuzzy size. So when he didn’t take his next meal I wasn’t really concerned because I figured it was because the last one was pretty large. I’ve tried all the tricks, all about 5 days apart from each other, with no success:
leaving the pinkie over night
scenting with egg yolk
scenting with tuna juice
feeding in a separate small deli container
feeding live
The only thing I haven’t tried is scenting with frog but have tried putting that off since it’s pretty inconvenient to order the scenting juice and I am not confident that will work just due to his response. He really is showing no interest in food at all and if I try to buy him with it he just hisses and hides in true sassy hognose fashion.
Is my next step reeeeeally going to have to be changing up his enclosure? I have a hard time being convinced of the fact that it is his enclosure since nothing has changed about it at all and he fed in there just fine previously. He is my only snake that is in a glass enclosure, not a tub. But it is a mini front opening exo terra, only 12x12x12 with the back blacked out with vinyl. Aspen about 2” deep all the way up to the door line and plenty of hides and cover. He also has a really great personality. He spends about 50% of his time burrowed, 50% of his time chillin on top of a hide just observing me as I work at my desk. No behavioral signs of stress.
Any additional tips or is downsizing to a small tub really my only last option here? I know it’s only been 4 weeks but since he is a little guy, only 11 g, it makes me a bit more concerned.
I’m a new hognose owner and I’ve never tried it, but last resort could be reptilinks maybe? I looked it up and it’s very expensive but luckily I haven’t had any feeding issues (here’s the part when I knock on wood!. I honestly don’t know if it’s even widely recommended, but just throwing that out there.
Check him over very closely for lumps under his skin or spots that look like it’s scales are shriveled. I’ve had this happen a couple times. They seem to be prone to developing lumps and crashing.
Unfortunately there wasn’t one. Possibly it’s the rodent diet, possibly inbreeding depression, but the dirty secret of hognose snakes is that sometimes they just die. I have a friend who’s been breeding them for 10-12 years and he noticed more sudden death in hognose than most common species. I don’t want to scare you unnecessarily though.
Is the snake huffing and hooding when you try to feed it?
No, I totally understand. As much as I do get attached to my animals, I understand a lot is out of your control. But I’ll try my best to control what I can!
Yes - he is huffing, hooding, and bluff striking when I try to coax him with the food. If he was already out and about or just lounging, he will retreat under the substrate when I try to feed after he puts on that little show.
They usually won’t eat off tongs if they’re doing that. When you left a pink in overnight was it a scented pink? Try scenting with tuna juice and leaving overnight if not.
You might try the paper bag trick. Put the pink and the hognose in a small paper bag and roll the top up so it’s in the dark leave it 15 minutes and check.
I think maybe your temp is too high. I would adjust it to 87 or 88.
Also if he was eating unscented before he will again. I would leave him alone for a couple of weeks totally. No holding or anything.
I think you could be stressing him out by trying so many different things so often. As @ballornothing Don said, he is a decent weight so no need worry about that for now.
Also every 5 days feeding is too close between. Even 7 days is sufficient for a hog that size……
@caron@logar 5 days is the minimum I will wait to try feeding again with another tactic. But I have waited longer in some instances, upwards of 7-10 days, in hopes he would get extra hungry. I am thinking of waiting about 10 days until I try again but like I mentioned, he is a young, little guy so it worries me a bit but I know 4-5 weeks isn’t the end of the world even for babies.
I am trying to decide between downsizing his enclosure to a 6 qt tub and waiting the 10 days or just leaving him be and trying the “paper bag” or dark, separate small tub tactic that @ballornothing mentioned in 10 days.
