Quick Basics for when you receive your new animal:
· Keep your enclosure in a quiet location of the home, provide multiple hides and at least 1-2” of bedding.
· Do Not Handle your hognose for at least 10 days, and after 2 or more successful problem-free feedings.
· Do Not place your new baby in an enclosure that is too large for them. We recommend a 5-gallon enclosure with 2-3 of the sides blacked out in the beginning to get them adjusted to their new surroundings.
· Do Not offer food within the first 24 hours. Leave them completely alone and let them settle in.
o Wait at least 48-72 hours before attempting to feed them for the first time.
· Do Not wave their food in front of them. Set it down and leave them alone to eat their meal when they are ready.
· Leave the pinky in with the hognose for at least 24 hours before disposing of it.
· Do Not offer food more frequently than every 4 days, even if they refuse. Hatchling hognoses can literally go months of not eating without ill effects.
· Do Not offer food when the snake is in shed the first few times it sheds in your care.
o You will know they are in shed when you see that their eyes are milky white and their body color is lighter or cloudy looking.
· Do Not Scent the food unless otherwise specified. Your snake is on Unscented f/t, and if they are off food, it is Extremely unlikely that it is due to a change in scent preference.
Enclosure Requirements:
Size
While you might want to start your animal off in a larger enclosure, you might want to consider the size and age of the animal you are acquiring. Hatchling hognose snakes are very small and are often raised in bins about the size of a pencil case (~12” x 5” x 3”) where they feel secure and feed readily. Putting them in a new home that’s many times larger than that can be disorienting and intimidating.
Start slow and small. A plastic 5-gallon terrarium with a secure lid, or a tub about the size of a shoebox (6qt. 14 1/8” x 7 ¾” x 4 7/8”) would work just fine. Don’t forget to add ventilation if you decide to use a tub!
As your snake is feeding, shedding, and growing, they will require more space. Since hognose snakes are ground dwelling animals, opt for something that would have a greater amount of floor space for them to move around in. Males may live happily and healthily in a 15-20 gallon enclosure, while females will require a 20-40 gallon enclosure.
Hides/Cover
Hides are integral for these animals. Hognose snakes are fossorial, which means they spend most of their lives digging and being underground. This means they would prefer and are accustomed to enclosed spaces. They feel secure there. The security allows them to live and eat with less fear of becoming meals themselves.
Two or more hides are recommended depending on the size of your enclosure. Ideally, you will want a hide on the “hot” side, and one on the “cool” side of the enclosure (temperature requirements will be listed below). Hides function best when they are small enough for the snake to touch multiple sides with its body at the same time. If you can only fit a single hide in the enclosure, opt to place it on the “hot” side.
With tanks and terrariums there is usually a lot of open space. To reduce this, consider other options for cover including fake plants and decorations to take up the empty space and reduce the likelihood of your animal being too afraid of the big world. Stay away from anything with chemicals, glitter, tape, and wires. If you’re not comfortable licking it yourself, don’t offer it to your animal. You may also consider covering or painting the tank to make the enclosure feel less open.
Substrate
The most popular substrate is Aspen. It can come chipped, shredded, or shaved. Shredded and shaved aspen holds tunnels the best and is great in nice deep layers for these animals to dig through. Coco coir and topsoil are other common combinations to be used for bedding. Make sure your substrate is free of perfumes, chemicals, and soft woods (pine and cedar). Soft wood contains phenols that can cause respiratory problems. Sand is also not recommended as it can cause impaction issues in their digestive tract.
Western Hognose Lighting and Temperature:
Lighting
Light cycles can make a major difference in the activity level of your animal. Lighting isn’t a necessary addition, but you want to keep in mind that they would have day/night cycles in their natural environment. Use your judgement. If the room they are in feels dim, then you may want to consider additional lighting options. Otherwise, ambient lighting is typically sufficient.
If you rely on ambient lighting and your animal has gone off food despite having adequate surface and ambient temperatures, they could still be sensing the season to brumate via the lighting in the house. Additional lighting for the enclosure may be necessary as you want to aim for a decent 12-14 hour light cycle per day for your animal. This is something that can make an important difference in your hognose continuing to feed despite the natural inclination to brumate. You could use a UVB bulb in their environment, however, you should stick to a lower percentage like 6-7%.
Heating
I would recommend getting an UTH (under-tank heaters) for your animal. UTHs are available at pet stores and are specifically designed for use with most types of aquariums, and one can be used to provide a hot spot basking area (maintained at about 89-93˚ F/31.7-33.9˚ C) for your snake. Make sure your heat is appropriately sized and does not take up more than a third of the enclosure. The snake needs to have a cool side which sits around 70-73˚ F/20-22.8˚ C. The mat/tape/pad should be secured to the outside of the tank on the bottom or side.
Never set the enclosure on carpet/wood with a heating mat/pad/tape in direct contact with the surfaces. Wire shelving can be placed underneath to give a little air flow and prevent any unnecessary risks.
A programmable thermostat or rheostat combination is necessary to provide and maintain heat in the enclosure. These mats on their own can run 140˚ F+ (60˚ C+), so be sure your heat regulator is appropriately plugged in and running ALL the time. Do not tape the probe inside the enclosure. The animal can…and will get stuck to the tape.
Since Hognose like to burrow, they will often lay directly next to the heat source, so you want to make sure your snake doesn’t burn itself while trying to get warm. Double check the temperature of the mat and enclosure using a laser temperature gun to ensure your heat regulator is working appropriately and accurately.
Humidity
While hognose snakes are found in somewhat dry habitats, they are not found in deserts. This means humidity levels upwards of 30-40% is beneficial for the snake and will aid in the shedding process.
If you find your snake is having problems with shedding, you may correct this by means of a humid box placed inside of the snake tank. This is a small hide or container that is mostly enclosed with some moist sphagnum moss inside. As long as there is only a small enough opening for the snake to enter then the humidity will remain relatively highly in the hide. The extra humidity will help loosen the skin so the snake can remove it more easily. Do not try to remove the skin yourself, you may damage your snake by doing so.
If you live in a more arid climate, you may cover part of your screened tank top with aluminum foil, just make sure the tape isn’t within reach of the animal. You could also add a larger water bowl near the heat source.
Western Hognose Snake Feeding:
Live feeding is Not encouraged with these animals as they do not constrict nor envenomate their prey enough to kill it. This is to be avoided as much as possible as it’s cruel to the mouse and can be dangerous to your snake.
Established hognoses are usually eager feeders. Some will come at you with open mouths, and often have poor aim when striking for food, and others will wait for you to leave the food so they can eat. If you’re feeding them directly, it’s best to use tongs, forceps, or hemostats to prevent getting accidentally bitten. If you’re concerned about getting bitten, you can thaw the food and leave it in the tank overnight. (Be sure to clear a space for the food, or set it on a small dish so there is minimal substrate ingestion)
It’s best to feed an appropriately sized meal (the prey item that’s about the same diameter as the snake’s head), 1-2 times per week. Once it’s been swallowed, there should be a noticeable lump in its stomach, but not so large that it’s still there 24 hours later. In the wild, hognose snakes consume a variety of prey items including rodents, lizards, amphibians, and the eggs of some ground-nesting animals.
Many keepers prefer frozen/thawedv (f/t) rodents because they are easier for the snake to digest. The baby you receive should have accepted at least 5-6 meals of frozen thawed pinky mice. If you fear ingestion of substrate, you could consider leaving the food on a small dish or inside of a small section of PVC tube.
If the snake is not feeding, it’s best to rule out husbandry or shed cycles as the problem before resorting to scenting. Scenting should be unnecessary, and if there is any problem with feeding, you should contact the breeder you received it from to troubleshoot what is wrong. Hognoses are known to be finicky eaters, but when husbandry is on point this situation is far less common.
In the winter, these snakes will brumate (hibernate) in the wild. While activity isn’t fully suspended, it’s greatly reduced. Sometimes the snake will go off feed during that time even if no other husbandry has been changed and the snake is not in shed. Maintaining temperatures and longer daylight cycles will aid in preventing your snake from going off feed during this time of year.
Snakes always need a fresh supply of water. Change the water and clean the bowl once per week, especially if the snake fouls the water or throws an excess amount of bedding inside.
Western Hognose Handling and Temperament:
The western hognose is a docile, easy-to-handle snake. While some individuals may display excellent bluffing techniques, these are not signs of aggression. Do not bother a snake that is exhibiting these bluffing behaviors, as this is a sign of stress, and they need to be given space. Handle the snake when it is calm.
Western hognose bites are very rare and are often due to an overeager feeding response. They are considered to be mildly venomous because they possess the Duvernoy’s gland, which secretes a toxic saliva used to inhibit their smaller prey items. Some people will exhibit bite reactions similar to allergic reactions, but their venom is not considered to be medically significant to humans.
Some Hognoses with heightened feeding response will just bite to “consume” if they think you might have food (even if you’ve washed your hands and there is no food nearby). The easiest way to avoid this kind of bite is to watch the mannerisms of your snake. You can almost see a light flicker in their eyes, an excited raising of the head with lots of tongue flicking, or they’ll approach with their mouth open when they show increased interest in food.
If a bite occurs do not force the snake off by yanking it. Instead, pour a small capful of mint mouthwash onto the area the snake is biting. This is harmless to the snake and will result in it releasing its bite. There may be mild swelling around the bite area, so clean the location of the bite with mild soap and water, then take a Benadryl within an hour of the bite. You could, alternatively, lift up on their ‘nose’, their fangs are designed to hold onto something, so if your lift up from their nose you will be able to get them off without damaging them. (Do so by placing your index finger on the tip of their ‘nose’ and make an upward ‘flicking’ motion to loosen their hold)
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