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View Full Version : Baby hognose won't eat, please help!


Biologygirl
10-02-15, 08:55 AM
I've had my baby hognose for about a month now and she won't eat for me. She was a month old when I got her and the breeder said she ate pinkies. I'm extremely worried, so if anyone has advice on how to get her to eat I would be forever grateful.
Below is her set up and all the things I've currently tried doing to get her to eat as well as her behavior.

Tank: 10 galleon with a water dish and hidey places
Substrate: alfadry (she likes burrowing in it)
Lighting: 100W daylight bulb
Temp gradient: around 81-83 degrees Fahrenheit on the warm side and 70-75 on the cool.

Things I've tried:
1. Braining the pinkies
2. Cutting pinkies in half
3. Placing her in a small dark shoebox with substrate (allow her to acclimate for a day before offering pinky)
4. Scenting with tuna
5. Scenting with a frog
6. Offering a small cricket frog

Behavior:
She will sniff the pinkies but then just turns away and goes back to what she was doing. She hasn't lost hardly any weight and isn't lethargic at all. She burrows and also crawls all around the cage looking at the glass (it seems like she's trying to get out)

I'm a very worried snake mom. Please help me figure out why she won't eat.

Snake Plissken
10-24-15, 11:43 AM
What did the breeder have the snake in when it was in their care?

Minkness
10-24-15, 12:55 PM
6 attempts in 4 weeks is too much. Let her go 2 weeks, only disturb her for water. I personally use a flower waterer thing so I don't even have to pick the dish up and even offer that much stress.

Also, 10 gallons f9r a tiny 2 month old baby is WAY too big! You can use a large kritter keeper or a 5 gallon tank, but 10 is just too big. Even with alot of stuff and vurrowing it's too much.

Good luck.

reptiledude987
10-28-15, 09:56 AM
My little hoggie hasnt eaten in the last 3 weeks either. Im still only offering once a week.next week on week 4 Im going to try a scenting braining combo and go from there. I suspect the reason Im having the issue is because of the time of year. up until now shes been a great eater to the extent that she was my small rodent disposal for others that refused a meal. Like mink said give her a bit of a break from feeding attempts for a week or 2 and she will come around.

Snake Plissken
10-29-15, 04:00 AM
Indeed, my hogs will go off feed around this time and won't eat again until March.

Biologygirl
10-29-15, 07:55 AM
She ate! I gave her a small frog and she ate it last week. Thank you everyone for your support and advice.



Also to clarify, my post should have said two months of not eating, not one. I wouldn't try to feed her that many times per week.

Snake Plissken
10-30-15, 02:47 AM
Is this an Eastern or Western Hognose?

Albert Clark
10-30-15, 06:48 AM
Careful with those frogs also. The live ones are loaded with endoparasites. F/t frog legs are a better choice for the little guy. Live frogs as a treat occasionally is ok. F/t frog legs is not complete nutrition and should be supplemented with a varied offering of rodents and fish.

Biologygirl
10-30-15, 11:32 PM
It's a western.

The frog had been frozen for quite some time. I'd much rather her eat pinkies. Now that I'm a bit less stressed, I'm going to keep offering rodents instead of frogs.