Common Hognose Mistakes 

I think a lot of people try to save money, so they read that an adult female can be in a 20 gallon and think they can just have a 20 gallon for a baby too. Education is key! Thanks for the compliment!

Well it's definitely hard because even if you do do your research people say different things 🤷🏼‍♀️ I've heard some people say it's wrong to put babies in small enclosures. While that way be true for some species I personally feel they do better in smaller spaces. It also depends on the individual hognose. Some will do fine in large enclosures as babies. I'm still conflicted on the heat for hognose. I've heard many people say 90-95 like she did but others will say that's waaaay too hot for a hognose. They say mid to high 80's are the highest their warm spot should be. I've recently changed to high 80's because I've talked to a couple breeders and that is what they told me to do. My hognose are still eating for the most part. My biggest male hasn't eaten for like a month and my biggest female recently skipped one meal but the other 3 have still been eating.🤷🏼‍♀️

People have a tendency to do this with a lot of animal species. Not just Hognoses. With the information and internet available, in my opinion, there isn’t a valid reason to not know about the species you’re considering on getting. But still, people are lazy and will still buy without doing their proper research first.

and that’s why i’m wat hi g this video! i’m planning to get a hognose and i think i consumed every piece of information there it to lnow about these guys in the past two weeks lmfao

@@SnakefulGrace doesn't matter, as long as there are enough places for the baby to hide...as long as the animal is healthy. In the wild...they don't have an option for a "smaller" tank just because they are babies. It's all about hiding places...

Yup! Always, always, always try to learn as much as you can.

We all make mistakes and I think it's so important to know we aren't perfect. As long as we are growing, improving, and always trying to do better, it's okay. What's a problem is when we think we can't improve our husbandry. We can always do better. We can always learn. Don't feel bad! You were just a kid, too. The fact you stuck to your little girl and have been giving her better and better care makes you an amazing pet owner.

I had a leopard gecko too, there (I'm saying their because we never found out their gender) name was waffles and my brother would always forcefully pull them out of their hides and when he was done holding them he would just drop them so one day they dropped there tail and he thought there was something wrong with them so the told mom, he said that he would GENTLY pick them up, he would lie about it so i took a video of him picking up waffles and when he was done he dropped him back in the cage and left the room. Waffles . Didn't. Move. (keep in mind i would always check on them after he put them up and they were fine) so i told mom and then found out they were dead so i showed mom the video and brother got grounded for the rest of the year (this was back in 2018) (he is not aloud to have pets and i don't get pets anymore because of this)

@@msillt1315 dang! Yeah I did a kinda similar then when picking my leo up when I was younger, however I never dropped her back in (but when I would get her out she would end up falling tho and I would have to chase her around my room to catch her 😬) that’s prolly another really she doesn’t like to be held

Hognoses definitely have a super special place in our hearts! They are amazing little creatures.

That's great to hear! There are actually a lot of hognoses that do great starting off in 10 or even 20 gallon enclosures, but that's definitely not the case with all of them. We like to think of baby setups like "training wheels" that help them gain confidence that helps them thrive in their future, larger setups.

Sounds like you are an amazing snake parent! I'm so glad that the videos helped! :)

It can definitely become an addiction! I honestly love it. It is soooo rewarding!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that.

So happy that the video helped, Hannah!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that and will be trying my best to keep it up. You are too kind!

Thank you for letting us help you bring a new noodle into your life. We appreciate you! Let me know if you ever need anything.

Glad it was helpful! That's awesome to hear.

It sounds like you have done everything you can! Any new family member can be anxiety-inducing! It's completely normal. If you need any help, just let us know. Congratulations on your new hognose!

Sounds like you are an incredible snake parent, doing what's best for your little guy! It also sounds like he is super healthy! I have a lot of full-grown males around 45g-70g, and a few larger around the 100g range. As for sand or no sand, I do use 10% play sand in our bioactive mixture, but not pure sand. I do know that in the wild, they are often found near clay deposits, so the clay sounds like a great idea :) I hope that helps!

Awww, thank you so much for your kind words! I just try to share what I learn with others. Let us know if you ever need help. :)

Thank you so much! I really am excited for you!

Thank you so much! It warms my heart that the video helped! Let me know if you ever have any questions :)

@@SnakefulGrace thank you! ☺️

I am so happy to hear that the video helped!

Thank you! We plan on making another follow up video with more common hognose mistakes and easy fixes for them eventually :)

The paper bag trip does help with some babies :)

Thank you! I really appreciate it!

Of course! Even though we do think snakes should have plenty of room to explore and exercise, it's important to remember they all have different personalities and developmental stages. As babies, they don't explore a bunch in the wild, instead preferring to find a safe burrow and remain hidden until they really need to leave. By starting smaller, it allows you to take your time getting to know them, their personality, their quirks, their behaviors, and their preferences, while they get to have an easier time getting to know their surroundings, which helps them feel safer with all of the extra change. When arriving in a new home, they have a new routine, new environment, new sounds, and new smells to get used to, so a smaller setup is like training wheels to help them build that confidence. As they grow and mature, it makes it a lot easier and safer for you to upgrade, since now you are familiar with their individual personality. That way, you can recognize the difference between a hognose that just likes to climb vs a hognose that surfs glass when stressed. Everyone is different, and starting small just helps give babies their best chance to thrive. As they get bigger and more confident, it makes it easier.

Thank you so much for your comment! Some snakes don't get stressed with moving around. Every snake is individual. We do actually have a handful of adults that we feed shortly after weighing them during check-ups and they do fine. Most babies are still very spooked from the world and change, so they do much better being fed in their enclosures. Most of the times that I have heard of impaction issues also seem to have other underlying problems and the impaction itself is an additional issue. Most healthy snakes without underlying issues should be able to properly digest small amounts of substrate. We should do our best to avoid having a lot of substrate stuck on their food, but it happens once in a while and ideally, they should be okay. Congratulations on the new hognose and thank you so much for watching. I want to make more videos and keep sharing what I learn to hopefully help more people.

if that were the case they'd become extinct in the wild...cuz they also ingest pieces of rocks...

Thank you for the sub! I love the Walmart tubs and they are great for little babies. I know what you mean about them not being flat. Something that works with me is just having the mat or tape resting on a flat surface and just placing the tub on top of it so the back third of the tub is over the mat, if that makes sense. I don't attach the heating element directly to the tub. I personally like to use germination heating mats, as those do not overheat to dangerous levels, otherwise I can use other stronger mats or heating tapes connected to a thermostat. I prefer to use belly heat, mats when possible, for younger babies and eventually when they outgrow their tubs and go into a glass enclosure, I hook them up to overhead heat to mimic nature.

For males, I feed them small meals twice a week until they are 1 year old. I do 5% of their body weight per meal so they get 10% total per week.

@@SnakefulGrace thats so crazy i had a black rat snake that would eat any time any where as long as it was hungry. Just crazy how some people think reptiles dont have personalities.

@@sariahreigns3666 Snakes definitely have personalities!

@@SnakefulGrace That's the single best explanation I've seen. How do you work out feeds for older hoggies?

@@Jesus_Iced I do roughly the same! For females 2 years and older and males 1 year and older, they eat weekly meals of 10% their body weight.

Some hoggies can do great in larger setups, but not all of them are confident enough for it. The truth is, most hognoses (almost all hognoses) will do great in a smaller setup initially, but only a few do great in larger setups. So in the beginning, we recommend playing it safe and playing it small and gradually seeing how comfortable they are with larger spaces.

@@SnakefulGrace thats awesome

Sorry for the delay! I actually know exactly what you are talking about! I place the thermostat probe between the mat and the rub and set the thermostat to a maximum of 95F. This will usually make the inside of the rub be around 90F which is a good temperature. The reason the thermostat probe is best to be there is because of that variance you noticed when you moved it inside the tub. It's easier to adjust it to be warmer (and work with the heat loss in transferring through the rub) than trying to make sure the probe stays exactly in the same spot inside their rub. They move the probe around way too much. You can have a thermostat or two with probes inside the rub to monitor the ambient temperature of the cold end and warm end. Use the thermostat probe to just make sure it doesn't overheat. Hope this helps!

Glad I could help! They are absolutely amazing snakes and were my first beginner snake.

Thank you! You are totally right! The best (and hardest) thing to do is relax and recognize they are sometimes little drama queens. As long as husbandry is okay, there is usually nothing to worry about.

I am trying not to helicopter parent him and probably kinda failing. I wuv though. It's so hard to not at least come look at him. He did eat though...so far.

You got it. Just breathe and relax and more often than not, everything gets sorted out.

@@SnakefulGrace Yeah I have heard repeatedly that hognose's can go a long time without food. So I am trying to give him some space. He does sit out in the open a lot so that helps. At least I can see him...I just worry when he won't eat or that he's not eating enough. It sounds like at some point their food response gets turned on and they start eating good.

@@Upper_echelon_exotics Just breathe and relax. It's also chilly weather, so a lot of them just aren't hungry. You are doing a good job. Aim for 10% his body weight every week (5% twice a week if the baby is male and younger than 1 year) and you are good to go.

I don't disagree with what you did at all! You did the transition gradually and made sure to offer her plenty of clutter, hides, and time to adapt. You didn't take a baby that was raised in a small location and throw her into a bare and exposed 40-gallon. It is difficult for some people to pull off what you did and you're right, every snake is individual! There are some babies that can do amazing in bigger enclosures, but this particular baby, Pandora, was put into a bare 40-gallon with coco coir and a single mini log as a hide on one side of the enclosure. It was very exposed for her and she didn't feel safe. It's clear that you understand snakes and I am so happy you shared your experience! In the future, I might do a video about how to properly have smaller snakes in larger enclosures. It really is all about giving them that space and clutter so that it feels safer and they can explore while hiding.

It can be a little harder when someone answers questions correctly and they have done research, yet they aren't willing to adapt. We are currently boarding 2 of our sold babies during the winter since they had stopped eating with their owners. They are eating every time food is offered. We have actually declined to sell to people before when they genuinely didn't seem like the right families for a particular hognose. Although we do allow handling (with sanitizer) at expos, if someone does not follow directions and poses a risk at any moment, we take that hognose back and that handling session is over. We all started somewhere, so we try to make it easier for people to feel like they have an extra resource of help if they can't figure something out on their own.

Congratulations and thank you for giving a retired breeder a good home! Tubs are great for quarantine and beginning start ups. Don't worry about the plastic melting, especially with a germination mat and a thermostat. You got it covered. Place the probe between the tub and mat and set the thermostat to 95F. Then you can use a temp gun to check the temperature inside or have the thermometer probe near the hot side. You are all good and set to go! Temp should stay around 89-90F on warm end from the heat transfer.

I also try to keep the temperature at 85-90 throughout the night so we have no issues digesting the food. It is SO dangerous for the temperature to drop while they’re still working through their last meal.

We like keeping the temps up at night as well and generally don't like the cold side getting colder than 75F at night

Congratulations! That is so exciting! Personally, we wait until babies are closer to a year or a year and a half before introducing them into something larger, but it completely depends on the individual snake. Some of them are super confident and others take a little more time. As babies, we like to use mini hides in their enclosures, since they are so small.

That's great! Congratulations!

Yup! There are a lot of ways to get creative and make them feel safe.

Hey, Sasha! I appreciate the kind words and feedback. It definitely can be very hard sometimes, but this was a young teenager getting her first snake, saving up money all on her own. Although her mother was also a snake owner, that can sometimes be a double-edged sword since not everyone is willing to learn about what is new. There is a lot of misinformation out there and it's important, especially in a hobby becoming so popular, to always be willing to offer a gentle hand when helping them learn. It definitely could have been avoided with a simple Google search, but even I made mistakes with my first snake that Google wasn't able to help me with. I was lucky to have had a good breeder that let me ask questions and was willing to gently guide me towards working with my little hognose. It's why I make these videos and try to make it easy for people to admit mistakes and learn to do better. We don't sell snakes to homes that aren't willing to learn or listen to advice, but are always willing to help educate new owners. We can get so much more done when we take a moment to breathe and remember that at the end of the day, chances are they also love this animal and want them to thrive. Of course, no excuse for letting it go for that long, but hopefully in the future, we can make it easier for people to open up about mistakes and know they can get help without feeling attacked. It's really hard, but it's a goal I am working towards. I greatly commend the reptile store you mentioned and hopefully, if we open one in the future, that's something we will do too! Some stores in Vegas specifically offer a health guarantee with proof of enclosure setup or with the purchase of a proper setup at the store. I think that together, as a community, we can always work together and grow not just for our benefits, but for the benefits of the animals we are responsible for. ❤️

Thanks for watching and for leaving a comment! I've actually gotten that question before so I might make a video talking about it at some point. The main reason we suggest smaller enclosures is because most snakes will do well in a smaller enclosure and only some snakes do well initially in a larger one. Most people that do have larger enclosures sometimes fail to fill it up with enough clutter to make them feel safe. The truth is, in the wild, even though they aren't confined to a plastic box, they take a while to gain the confidence to venture off into an unknown area, often sticking close to where they are familiar with before going away. Technically speaking, you could for sure make a beauiful enclosure with plenty of hides and hiding space (in fact, we keep our adults in bioactives when it isn't breeding season!), but that doesn't necessarily mean that it will be confident enough to use all of that space, if that makes sense. We do our best to try and replicate the wild in their permanent enclosures. Smaller enclosures or simplistic setups are simply an easier and more effective way of quarantining and getting them used to a new environment. It would be harder to find a regurgitated meal or a distinct lack of urates/feces in a large bioactive, for example. Hope this helped a bit! Great point to bring up!

@@SnakefulGrace Thank you! It does make senese! I actually hadn't thought of the possibility of finding potentially regurgitated meals. I guess because quarantining a reptile for a month or two, sometimes longer depending on the situation before relocating them on their permanent or long term enclosuere seems like kind of a given to me. Thoug it is certainly something worth taking into account regardless. As for the feces, wouldn't a baby hognose's fecal matter be small enough that a bioactive's properly-estabilished cleaning crew could easily take it apart before it becomes a significant higene issue? Again, assuming the quarantine period is done and one is sure enough that food is being propperly digested and excreted. Oh, and as for the bioactives you have, what do you use for a cleaning crew? I've found mixed information as to what is and isn't going to survive on arid / semi-arid bioactives.

We keep our hot side set to 95F on the thermostat so that it will usually read between 90F-93F inside the enclosure :)

Thank you and congratulations! Snows are absolutely gorgeous! I hope he is everything you wanted in a hoggie.

Congratulations on your new hoggie! That's so awesome. It sounds like you are doing a great job and did plenty of research. Just breathe, relax, and you will be fine. Once he is longer than the length of the tank, you can start looking into upgrades. Make sure he spends at least 2 months there before changing it up though, just so he doesn't get stressed with too much change.

It's actually not that hard when you have a smaller heat mat! We like to use seedling heat mats that are meant to germinate seeds, since those don't get hot enough to burn or harm a hognose. They have a size that is very small and works really well for small enclosures. Otherwise, if you got a glass tank, you can always attach it to the thermostat. It's not too difficult. You can have a cold side of high 70s to low 80s and a hot side around high 80s to low 90s and your little one will do great!

@@SnakefulGrace Thank you for the reply and the info! I had not considered using a seedling heat mat... Def something to look into! Thanks!

It was definitely a secret weapon in disguise when we found it. Definitely check them out!

Completely depends on the individual hognose! Some babies are extremely confident and do end up thriving right off the bat, but generally, I would say just take it slow and make sure you have at least 3 months of consistent eating before doing a major change (like an upgraded enclosure). If they eat for you in their new enclosure and keep eating consistently, then they are good and ready! It's not so much about the size as it is about their confidence :)

Hey, Butterfly! You have nothing to apologize for! I always encourage people to ask any and all questions so we can all help each other learn. When using a thermostat, I place the thermostat probe in between the heat mat and the enclosure (on the outside) and set it to 95F so that it turns off when it hits 95F. That will usually make the temperature inside the enclosure somewhere between 92F-95F. If you are using overhead lighting, then you'll want the probe inside the enclosure above the substrate on the hot side. Make sure to have suction cups to hold it against the glass so the little noodle doesn't move the thermostat around. If inside the enclosure, however, I would set the thermostat to 90F, just to be safe. If talking about the thermometer that we just to measure the temperature inside, then I recommend having two of them. You'll want one on each end of the enclosure attached to the sides (or close to the sides). You want to be able to monitor the temperatures and since hognoses move around a lot, it's good to make sure the probe isn't moved around. Hope this helped! Let me know if you still have any questions :)

We use heat mats :) If it's a reptile heatmat, we make sure it has a thermostat. Otherwise, we love using seedling heat mats that don't get warm enough to cause burns, even without a thermostat.

Hi! Yes, we will! We are getting ready to set up for the show later today :)

@@SnakefulGrace awesome see you there

That's so sweet of you! He did find a home, but we do have some other hoggies as well. :)

That's awesome ! If he was eating in that setup, then there shouldn't be any problems. Worse case scenario, you can always get him a temporary smaller tub until he gets used to his new home with you guys.

@@SnakefulGrace He seems fine. We don't bother him too much and I do see him come out. Trying to limit handling to every other day as to not stress or annoy him but to get him used to us. Thats what we did with our corn snake. His first feeding will be this Sunday so I hope he eats.

50% is not a bad humidity to be at. Using aspen bedding and smaller water bowls helps. Make sure the water is on the cold side, or the heat from the warm side will make the water evaporate which adds a ton of humidity to the tub!

Hey, Christina! It could work, though I can't really say so from my own personal experience. I have heard of some hoggies doing great in larger setups off the bat, but it completely depends on their own confidence and personality. Just make sure to put as much clutter as you can in addition to plenty of hides and bedding. A benefit of starting with a smaller, starter tub is to also get them used to their new feeding schedule, which allows for an easier transition in their bigger enclosure. I hope this helped!

I have never had them escape from these baby bin setups. As long as the latches are secure, they can't get out unless you leave it open and forget to close it :)

We have them listed on our MorphMarket page (www.morphmarket.com/stores/jordin_machado/). Thanks for considering us!

Every snake is an individual and some don't mind being moved to eat. You could try feeding peach fuzzies, which are in between pinkies and fuzzy mice. If you want to try feeding in the enclosure, you can tap the enclosure a few times before offering food. It's what I do with a lot of my hoggies and when they are buried, they realize it's time to eat after hearing the tapping. Two weeks isn't too bad to go without food, especially when it is chilly outside. It sounds like the enclosure isn't an issue, but you could remove about 3 inches of aspen and still be perfectly fine. It might make it easier for him to smell his food. :)

@@SnakefulGrace isn't 93 degrees a bit warm? I have mine set at 85-86 degrees. I didn't think a hoggie was supposed to go over 90 degrees on the heat side?

You do still have a heat gradient, it's just a bit more mild. We generally try to have the cold side be around 80F when they are young to encourage appetite. The plastic containers can usually be heated up with heat mats or heat tape. We haven't personally tried the 8x8x8 exoterra cubes because they actually stopped making them! Otherwise, we think those could be pretty awesome :)

That's awesome to hear! The truth is, there are many hognoses that do great in larger enclosures, but often times, people don't have enough clutter to make them feel safe.

I've heard of some people feeding their adults (males do often mature around 1-2 years old) only once every 14 days. It definitely changes depending on the snake and the keeper. I like to feed my collection every 7 days, since that works best with me, but I do also occasionally feed younger ones every 4-5 days until they are older. As long as he isn't losing weight and looks healthy, I wouldn't worry about needing to change his feeding schedule. Essentially, you don't "need" to shorten how often you feed, but usually I wait until they are about 1-2 years old (1 year for male, 2 years for females) before moving them onto a consistent weekly feeding. Hognoses have faster metabolisms than other colubrids (like corn snakes and king snakes) and they also seem to do better with smaller meals (just as thick as their head, instead of thicker than the widest part of their body), so feeding is just a tad different with them.

I generally recommend waiting at least 2-3 months, regardless of size. This gives them proper time to acclimate to their new home, get used to their new routine, and also allow their new owners time to get to know them and learn what their signs of being chill or stressed look like. After that, if they are eating consistently, upgrading depends on their confidence levels. Shy eaters usually do best when taking the upgrades slowly, imagine it like being a "training enclosure" in preparation for their adult enclosure. Confident babies often do great when moved into their adult setups. It all depends on the baby, which is why the first 2-3 months is so important, since it helps you establish a baseline for that hognose. Hope this helps!

Heya! It's the time of the year that a lot of hognoses, babies and adults, are feeling the temperature changes outside and don't feel like eating. If he looks good and healthy, I would not worry just yet. If he has previously eaten in the enclosure, then it isn't an enclosure issue. Have you checked to make sure the heat is still working well? If so, you can try braining the pinkie (I have a video on how to do that) to see if that entices him. Leave it overnight on the cold side so it doesn't cook and go bad faster. Check in the morning. If he doesn't eat for another month, I would consider turning off the heat and covering him with something dark for a month to help him rest and brumate for a little. That usually jump-starts them. After the month, remove the cover and turn the heat back on. Check on him once a week to make sure he has water and is looking okay.

@@SnakefulGrace i am located in South East Asia and temperature here is between 27 to 34 deg celcius so i don't have any heat pad in the enclosure. It is however near the monsoon season and starting to rain sometimes. The enclosure is next to the window. Here is a link to the video. Thank you for your reply! Appreciate it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AKbaBSG-jiI.html

Sounds like the weather is definitely making him want to avoid eating. Have you tried leaving the food overnight? Has he eaten that size before?

@@SnakefulGrace no i nv tried leaving overnight before because i am afraid that flies might gather due to humidity but i shall try that today thanks!

Of course! I would love to help. Feel free to reach out to us on facebook messenger. You can search for Snakeful Grace or Urban Dinos. Both ways will help you get to us faster.

Every experience is different but it always helps so much to learn as much as you can from a ton of different places. ❤️

@@SnakefulGrace I’m watching and reading a lot of different sources 😉

It completely depends on the snake. Some babies do great in larger setups, others need more time in something smaller to gain their confidence. I have made mesh lids for plastic tubs before, but had to make sure that the tub was tall so they wouldn't get too close to the bulb. As long as you can keep the temperature in the right range and avoid overheating, it doesn't really make much of a difference if you use a mat or a bulb. Definitely get as much clutter as you can manage. I like to use Fluker's dimmable lamps for our bulbs so we can adjust it manually, but a dimmable thermostat (or any other thermostat that turns the heating element off) would work just as good. It sounds like you have everything good to go! Sorry we didn't get back to you sooner.

@@SnakefulGrace Just got him a week ago, and put him in the "main" glass encolsure. He's doing great, immediately after getting home with i put him in it and he startet exploring the whole thing. After just one day he already ate , so expect him being extremly pissy everthing is great

@@Filmikizmiki Sounds like he is a confident little dude! Happy to hear that everything worked out!

He might never get that big, but we can cross our fingers! Not all males get that big.

Heya! The baby probably just needs some time to acclimate. Generally, you'll want to avoid handling for at least 7 days and then offer food. If they eat their first meal, then you can handle them after 48 hours (for them to digest). First we want to make sure they eat, then as long as they keep eating, you can continue to handle them. We have some videos on what to do when you first bring a baby home, how to feed, and even how to handle "aggressive" hoggies. Hope this helps!

Heya! We actually sold that little guy but have plenty of other hoggies. Check out our morphmarket page (Urban Dinos).

Males up to a year old and females up to two years old, I feed twice a week (or approximately every 5 days). I feed about 5% their body weight each meal. :) When they have growth spurts and act super hungry still the next day, then I add a small, second meal to their next feeding. If they are uninterested the next time I feed them and need convincing to eat, then I cut the size down a bit more. Each snake is individual, so I listen to them when I can.

It's definitely a possibility. Sometimes they just think about food and might give a quick nom. Glad you got him off quickly!

Hey fellow Trinity with a hognose! I haven't been bit yet. I almost was by someone else's hognose. I saw it coming and moved in time. Lol 😂

Hey fellow Trinity with a hognose! I haven't been bit yet. I almost was by someone else's hognose. I saw it coming and moved in time. Lol 😂

he also has plenty of fake fabric plants, i didn’t want to use plastic bc of risk of it hurting him. also has a thermometer on the cooler side that says 82°

Cooler side around the low 80s and a hot side of the high 80s or low 90s usually works great with them. Aspen does mold easily when it gets wet, so we do actually use coconut soil sometimes too! It helps little babies that struggle with staying hydrated and it also is more resistant to mold. We hope he is doing well with you! It's very nice of you to give him a loving home ❤️

Yup, that is 100% normal. On top of hognoses loving to dig and burrow, he is probably going to hide for a while to feel safe in his new environment. You have nothing to worry about :)

Heya! I would get him tested for Crypto, if possible, to help rule that out as a cause for the skinniness. If you go to Research Lab Associate's (they have a website), you can order a swab kit to help get an accurate fecal test. It's about $25 (I don't know if they can service areas other than the USA). Other than that, it sounds like you are doing a good job. Pandora took about 3-4 months of feeding twice a week (between 3-4 days), but she did also have to be started on half of a pinkie head and slowly worked up to large pinkies. Some breeders do incubate their hatchlings at warmer temps, which results in quicker incubation and smaller babies, so that could also be a factor. Regardless, it sounds like you are doing everything you can! If he is eating for you, then you are doing great. I would avoid handling for now, just to avoid any potential extra stressors, until he is looking a little better. You can occasionally mist the enclosure's warm side once every other day in case he doesn't find the water bowl (then he can drink along the sides). A little bit of humidity when recovering from dehydration helps a lot. Feel free to send us a message on facebook if you want to send pictures and keep us posted! We would love to help.

@@SnakefulGrace I just found your FB and LOLed. Fresno was the show I was just at. Small world! I’m pretty bummed I hadn’t found your youtube channel before going. I will reach out to Research Lab Associates like you suggested. His poo just seem’s off to me but I cant put my finger on why, first hog and all…

@@justabagel3381 Hahaha, bummer! We were just there! We'll be going to Roseville next weekend, so it's quite the busy schedule! We can meet up next time hopefully! Definitely get a sample tested for crypto, otherwise, if he is still very young (under a year old), it could always be an unfortunate failure to thrive, which sometimes does happen with babies. It's more common in slow growers and babies alike. If you ever want to reach out on Facebook and send pictures, I wouldn't mind helping you out with your new little one either :)

That specific tub is a 2.7qt tub, but a 6qt tub should be fine. The small hides are actually sugar packet holders from Amazon :)

@@SnakefulGrace Thanks so much! ♥️

@@SnakefulGrace please tell me how to get my humidity lower in this 6qt I can not get it to go lower than 75 or so and I’ve drilled soooo many holes on the sides and top.

What is the humidity in the room? Have you tried a smaller water dish? What substrate are you using (Paper towel or Aspen)? Holes can only do soooo much! If you can get the humidity down to 60%, you should be good.

I actually find these little tubs at Walmart in the USA. They are 2.7qt enclosures.

Did she stop eating after you upgraded her food? I don't think the enclosure is the problem, or she would have been finicky with the pinkies. I wouldn't worry about scenting. Some hoggies go off-feed in the summer because in the wild, a lot of them migrate to wetlands and start eating different kinds of foods. I would recommend trying to use peach fuzzies because they don't have a lot of fur. I had one hoggie who just hated fur and I had to gradually transition him to fuzzies over time. I'll make a video on that eventually since it is something some people run into. TLDR; scenting shouldn't be necessary. Try peach fuzzies or large pinkies in the meantime. You could also try braining the pinkie. Let me know how it goes!

@@SnakefulGrace by my records, yes. I will take your advice. I also raised my cool end temps a few degrees to get it higher in the 70's. I will get some large pinkies and let you know! TY!

@@sandeescyoc7006 Sounds like you have a plan! I think that should fix the issue. I like to keep the low end close to the high 70s or extremely low 80s, since that helps keep them motivated to eat. Keep me posted on how it goes!

Just make sure the ventilation holes are not too big, because they could try to wiggle out. I keep our hoggies for sale in bins/tubs as well as our new additions for quarantine. A tub can make a perfect home for a hoggie, especially young babies. Latched lids will be your best friend!

You are correct! They don't have holes in the top, they will usually have holes on the sides. I do also live in the desert, so we have very little humidity. :)

Is he on small pinkies or large pinkies? I would try bumping him up to peach fuzzies, if he is able to handle them. How much does he weigh?

@@SnakefulGrace he eats small pinkies now, but I've discovered she was aparently not feeding him often enough. Hognose snakes eat every 7 to 10 days but she was feeding him on the same schedule as her corn snake 😥 even as a baby. I'm going to start feeding him once every 10 days then gradually move to once a week. I feel so bad for the poor baby. Thank goodness hes otherwise healthy. I'm not sure of his weight, but hes almost 3 years old and can fit in the palm of my hand. Hes about 10 inches long I think? No more than a foot

@@lunasarcana8694 It sounds like you are on the right track. I would definitely work him towards once a week. I would even say to help the poor guy grow, you could probably do once every 5 days eventually, at least until he gets some more size. Thanks for taking care of that little one.

What kind of heating are you using? We don't want them burning themselves if they can reach the hottest temp. Does your hoggie burrow? A lamp or CHE can help bump up the ambient hot side to where it needs to be. I would recommend using a dimmer lamp so you can tweak it and get the right temp.

@@SnakefulGrace it’s a jumpstart heatmat. He loves to burrow so I’ve been afraid to let the surface get past 95°. Could you recommend me a lamp/bulb? I’ve had a really hard time finding out what would be good for him on that front

@@tonyflamingosucks6590 Yeah, we don't want it to get hotter than that if he does burrow. What kind of enclosure is he in? If he is in a tank with a mesh lid, I recommend getting a Ceramic Heat Emitter so it can stay on all night in addition to a Fluker's dimmable lamp. We use those and tweak the dimming to get the temp we need. That should help bump up the ambient.

@@SnakefulGrace thank you so much! This was a great help

@@tonyflamingosucks6590 Of course! I'm always glad to help .

As a general rule, this is how we feed our hognoses: Males up to 1 year old: 5% body weight meals twice a week Males above 1 year old: 10% body weight meals weekly Females up to 2 years old: 5% body weight meals twice a week Females above 2 years old (or gravid): 10%-15% body weight weekly or 5% biweekly depending on how they handle their meals. If they seem to be super starved the next day after feeding, then we either offer a smaller meal with their usual meal for next feeding or we bump up the size a tiny amount. We want them to eat consistently, so if we increase their food size/quantity and they reject food next feeding, it was too much food, so we dial it back down. All snakes are individuals and what works for some, might not work for others. We have our genereal baseline and adjust from there. Hope that helped!

I have reached out to see how she was doing but haven't gotten any responses, unfortunately :( I do hope she is okay. I made sure she was back up to weight, looking healthy, and eating really well before letting her go back home.

Many adult males do great in a 10 gallon tank and many adult females do great in a 20 gallon tank. Some people also like to use 2 x 2 enclosures for males or even 4 x 2 enclosures for females. Each snake is individual! Some prefer the extra space and others do better in smaller spaces.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Australia allows non-native animals, so it does not seem to be legal.

It can always be so scary when something happens that we can't find information for! It's so important to research and gather what you can from as many sources, since we are constantly learning more as breeders and keepers. If she makes bubbles with her mouth while breathing or sounds like she making "click" noises, then it could be an upper respiratory infection. Sometimes, they might have a wet mouth and look "slobbery" if they were just drinking water too, so it's important to be aware of that. If she was already eating for you in her enclosure, that's great! That means your husbandry should be on point and slowly looking over things that have changed will help figure out why she isn't eating. Sometimes during the winter, they can sense the weather outside and just feel like they need to rest and not eat. In the wild, if they ate when it was too cold, they wouldn't be able to digest their food and would get sick, so they avoid it in preparation for the bad weather. Sometimes, the light periods (day and night cycle) coming in through the window can also be enough to trigger it. However, it is probably due to the kids handling. Once she starts eating again, try maybe only letting the kids handle for 5 minutes once a week and gradually increase as long as she keeps eating. I hope some of this helps! I don't know everything, but I will always do my best to share what I have learned and experienced. If you need more specific help, feel free to reach out on our Facebook page or Instagram with pictures and I will gladly be there for you. Welcome to the hobby!

@Snakeful Grace Thank you so much!! This helps a lot as it did get very cold outside and inside our home. Had a day where our furnace acted up but it was fixed quickly. I was wondering about lighting as well as she was out in the main living area and it's honestly going a lot. She has ate since I changed her bedding and moved her to my room. She was super feisty today and struck out at me while on top of her log!! If the top wasn't on she would have almost hit my face. She is like 3 months old so it would of been like the kitten trying to jump onto the table from couch and miss. I believe she is getting ready to shed, I held her for a short time before this and just put food in and she wasn't moving. But she ate immediately which was awesome and will absolutely take your advice on how much my oldest holds. We do have a vet appointment on Tuesday as really do not want to take any chances if she does have an infection being so young. Thanks again!!

@@FierceFamily so happy to hear it is all working out! Feel free to reach out anytime you ever need someone to talk to! I'm sure the little hoggie is in good hands!

How big is your hoggie? Sometimes, it helps to get Peach fuzzies (a size between pinkies and fuzzies) to help with the transition. I had a hoggie that refused to go on fuzzies for the longest time, but I eventually got him to finally eat them by "Choo choo" feeding, also known as train feeding. I'll be making a video about train feeding soon and hopefully that will help if he doesn't want peach fuzzies either.

@@SnakefulGrace thank you!

@@SnakefulGrace is there any place where they can be ordered in small quantities? The places I see seem to sell a lot of them

@@Spookfishspecter when ordering online, I believe most quantities will be at least 50, unfortunately.

@@SnakefulGrace ah, that's gonna be a bit annoying

Unless you plan on breeding, it is not recommended at this time. There are a lot of risks with keeping them permanently housed together. You can, however, let them meet each other in a supervised environment.

It happens, especially as kids, since we depend a lot on adults being able to help us get the best resources needed to learn. Back when I was a kid, you needed to read giant books and booklets on the care of different species and not every parent is going to get you those books. As long as you grow and learn from the past, you are going to do great!

Don't feel too bad! At least you are learning and doing more research and working towards getting her into something better for her size. She might have stunted growth, but it sounds like she is still a healthy, little snake! So, my recommendation would be to see if she is willing to eat hopper/small mice, as that would be the size she is supposed to be on. Given she has always been on pinkies, she might not want them due to the fur, in which case, you will need to start with peach fuzzies and then move onto fuzzies. Ideally, you will want to give her about 10-11g of good each week. Another possibility if she doesn't like the fur is to do what I call the "Choo choo" method. Give her a pinkie and as she is eating that one, you slip the hopper onto her mouth so she keeps eating. It usually only takes 3-5 Choo Choo feeds to get them to start eating the new prey item on their own.

@@SnakefulGrace Oh My Glob! Thank you for the quick reply and the reassurance. I was kind of having a meltdown over this and I really appreciate your kindness and knowledge! I've found that some people like to be gatekeepers of information but you are quite forthcoming with information. I love it and your channel!

Awww, of course! I remember how anxious I was when I first started keeping hoggies (and snakes in general!), so my entire goal is to help people not feel alone or panic. It warms my heart to be able to help people out. ❤ Feel free to reach out if you ever have any questions or concerns.

We actually have a handful of our hoggies that eat links. I have nothing against them and in fact try to get most of them to eat them. The reality is, however, if one of my hoggies has any trouble eating rodents, they have never eaten a reptilink either. My best eaters eat anything (including links). I think a varied diet is important for all animals when possible.

I would love to be able to help you get her eating. First, just breathe and relax. 1g is not a huge deal. Second, could you tell me about her setup? What is she currently in, what is the hot side temp, cold side temp, humidity? Are you handling? How many hides does she have? How have you offered food and how often? Feel free to send us a picture on Facebook as well and I can help you more over there.

@@SnakefulGrace hey! thank you so much for responding! her set up is about a tupperware looking box. roughly six by four inches with aspen bedding. i’m thinking of changing her over to towels just while i get her eating. her hot side temp remains around the lower nineties and the cold side gets to about seventy to about seventy six. i was at first but for the past week i’ve only been “handling” to weigh her. she has one hide as of right now. and food wise i offered about three times. i waited three days between each so far, and i tried with tongs on a warmed up frozen pinky, then i tried braining one and offering, and lastly i tried it with a mix of both ways. the breeder, last i was able to contact them, told me she was eating two pinkies or a fuzzy but i don’t believe that she’s way too small.

Okay, so it sounds like the enclosure isn't the issue. Sometimes switching to paper towels helps when first wanting to monitor poops and meals. For right now, my recommendation would be to leave her alone for a full 7 days without offering food or bothering her. After the 7 days, leave the warm pinkie inside with her on the cool side. Don't offer on the tongs. See if she eats that overnight and let me know how that goes. Some of them get spooked by tongs.

@@SnakefulGrace Hey! sorry for the long wait, i tried that attempt at feeding and woke up with the mouse still there, as of yet she still hasn’t eaten. but also hasn’t lost any weight, i’m debating attempting to get something to scent her food?

They have Ball Pythons in the swamps as well? I thought they were just Burmese Pythons.

@@SnakefulGrace either it’s ball or Burmese, either way, there are pythons invading my swamps and I can probably take one as a pet. Perhaps they are invasive in Florida but not to the same extant as the Burmese ones. I found maybe 1 article talking about this concept.

@@Barakon I would love to read more about it if you can find it. Burmese pythons are pretty big!

Yes, it really did break my heart when I picked her up again. We will be posting an update video on Pandora soon talking about her treatment plan.

Completely depends on the hognose and the cat. We had cats and hognoses for a long time but the most our cats would do would be to gently paw the enclosure and then get spooked when the hognose would puff at them. Generally it is preferred to keep your hognose in an area your cat cannot bother them too much, as we have heard horror stories of cats falling through the enclosure screen and hurting the hognoses afterwards.

She was thriving when we sent her back to her owner. Though the last few times we have reached out for updates, they are not responsive. We hope Pandora is doing well though. 🙏

Hopefully they are still good! 🤞🏼

😅❤

Is he longer than the length of the tank? At a year old, he could probably handle a 20 gallon, but if he isn't as long as the length, he can still have a great and comfy life in his 10 gallon! I have one male in a 20 gallon bioactive and he seems to love it.

@@SnakefulGrace he’s not the same length yet, but I’m going to try to get him something bigger

Not all male hoggies get big. He is likely close to his full adult size at that age. Feel free to upgrade him and see how he does! Worst case, you can always get him back to a smaller tank if he doesn't do well in a bigger one.

@@SnakefulGrace thanks so much!

They’re defensive, not aggressive.

I havent noticed any difference in personality based on gender. Females do seem to be more prone to being food-eager though! It really depends on the individual! We take the time to meet everyone and get to know them personally so we can make sure they find good homes.

They can indeed display defensive behavior, not aggressive behavior. Snakes are just spooked noodles!

Unfortunately, large tanks are kind of the number one reason (that I have noticed) that hognoses don't eat, especially as babies. I actually did the same mistake when I got my first hognose; I started with a 10 gallon tank, had 3 hides, a few fake leaves, water dish, and paper towel... but of course, he didn't eat because that was too big for him, regardless of the clutter recommended. As soon as I put him in a 6qt tub, he ate almost immediately. We always need to remember that sometimes, what we think is best for them is actually what we think is best, not what is actually best. Always listen to your snakes and let them tell you how they want their environment. As long as they are active and eating, they are okay with what's going on.

There’s no such thing as too big, only too bare. As long as there’s plenty of clutter and plant coverage, and not too much open space, hognoses can absolutely thrive in a large enclosure. If it’s a glass enclosure covering three sides is a good idea as well. You’ve gotta remember that these guys live in the wild, which is much bigger than any enclosure.

Hey, Laura! Share your setup with us on facebook or instagram and we would love to help!

Yup, we do! We run Urban Dinos on Morph Market :) (www.morphmarket.com/stores/urbandinos/)

Congratulations on the decision! Doing research and learning as much as you can before you get your first hoggie is a great step in the right direction. So, it is extremely unlikely for a female to lay eggs if she is not paired with a male. If she ever did lay eggs, they would be slugs (infertile), and those are very small and don't usually cause any complications. Additionally, as long as you make sure to handle her and help her develop muscle as she grows, if she ever lays eggs unexpectedly, you will give her the best chance of no complications occurring.

@@SnakefulGrace oohh! Wonderful!! ✨ Thank you so much for your advice, it's a great help 😊

I believe they lure their prey into a false sense of security by playing dead, hahaha