PDA

View Full Version : My baby hognose won't eat. Advice!


Biologygirl
10-05-15, 09:07 PM
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.:sad::sad:

Minkness
10-06-15, 11:57 AM
You have jad her one month and tried all those things? Leave her alone for a week, maybe even 2. She won't starve, I promise. Then, take one pinkie amd just leave it in her tank for a day/night and don't even look at her.

Sylphie
10-06-15, 12:16 PM
She won't eat probably because of the winter. I talked to a lot of hognose breeders and it's common for these snakes to go off food because they normally would hibernate now. Just keep offering once in a week, check all your parametrs and don't stress her much. You can also try putting her in a smaller enclosure or RUB, as some of hoggies prefer smaller homes and big space is scarying them. But if you decide to move her to smaller enclosure then you should give her 2 weeks for acclimate, without handling, offering food etc. As long as she isn't losing a lot of weight it's okay and nothing to worry with this species.

Ps. You might want to change the bulb for something weaker, 100W is a lot of light and can stress her out too.

Minkness
10-06-15, 12:23 PM
Yup. I have kne who hasn't eaten for about 2 months now...only one though. The others are good but stretching out. I'll probably feed them for another month or two before they all go on strike lol.

Biologygirl
10-07-15, 02:39 PM
My plan is just to offer her food once a week. I'm thinking that eventually she'll be hungry and eat. :/ thanks for the advice everyone