Western Hognose Snake Not Eating 2 months

[ddmac]

Hello all, this is my first post here so I hope I posted in the right place.

I have joined because I am a tad worried about my 11 year old Western Hognose Snake. He is a male and I have had him since he was a few months old. Recently he has decided that he will not eat after being a good feeder for a good half year since he last went off food. Usually he takes a month or so every year off of eating, though usually in the Spring. This time he has taken what will culminate too two months now.

When he was younger he was quite an aggressive feeder and would often chase my hand around the cage when hungry. The last few years he has mellowed out and usually he finds the food and just eats it, without the past strikes that he would do. Guess you could say he got some table manners.

The last couple of months he treats the mouse with little regard, and if I try to force it on him a bit by waving it in front of his face (I give him defrozen fuzzies) he reacts negatively as though he is under threat. I try the usual feed schedule of every 7-10 days.

He is a bit skinnier then he was two months ago and maybe a bit more lethargic, but all in all looks in good shape and drinks like usual and basks like usual.

My question is if anyone has experienced such behavior before? And for such a long time? And in general if there is any advice you can give I would be grateful, I am considering talking to a herp vet if he does not eat soon.

[Trevor Flink]

I would go out into your woods and find a frog or a toad. If you can't find one go to your local pet store if they have frogs/toads. And rub the frog/toad on your mouse to scent it it should work like a charm. The mouse has to be warm.

[ddmac]

I would go out into your woods and find a frog or a toad. If you can't find one go to your local pet store if they have frogs/toads. And rub the frog/toad on your mouse to scent it it should work like a charm. The mouse has to be warm.

Thank you Trever for the reply!

I am indeed thinking of going that route. He never needed too much persuasion to eat the mice, certainly no frog/toad scenting that seem to be something the species appreciate, except for the months he goes off of food. I am also thinking of feeding pinkies as those usually get a bit of a stronger response.

[SWDK]

You can also try cupping the snake in a smaller Tupperware container and leaving it in there with the food for a few hours or overnight. I had a western hog that would have to eat that way for the first 4 or 5 feedings. Also, a buddy of mine used to dip the mice in water from a can of tuna and said that worked as well. I've never personally tried it, but it might be worth a shot.

[ddmac]

Thank you for the replies. I have already tried putting him in a smaller enclosure with the food and covered it up so it will be dark overnight but to no avail. Today I tried your idea of using tuna, washed the mouse and rubbed it with tun and even put a smallish piece for some more smell, but he still has zero interest in the food and when I try to place him near it he just seems to panic. I am running out of options.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Well, 2 months isn't really all that long, even for a hognose. I wouldn't worry until he loses significant body mass.

I'm not sure how long hoggies live, but being colubrids probably not quite as long as a boa or python. At 11 years old he may just be getting along in years, and his age is reducing his appetite. Just keep trying him on food and monitor his weight.

[Albert Clark]

If you are still having difficulty after your next attempt, try reassessing your husbandry numbers. Temperatures and humidity, cool side, warm side and overall ambient temperature is important and play a factor in appetite. Have you ever brumated (cooled) him? Hog nose and most colubrids need a cooling period. It's important in breeding and resetting their feeding clocks. What type of enclosure and heat source are you giving him?

[ddmac]

I keep the warm side around 88-94. He seems to have a heavy preference to that side even when he buries himself for the night. The other side is around 78-80. I make sure he is not next to any air vent for that can cause skin problems from past experience for the air is very dry. I have been trying to bathe him in lukewarm water for in the past that has worked sometimes. He does not have any mite issues like in the past. I have never brumated. When he gets into his usual spring hibernation I lower the lights a bit and let the cage become cooler. I use a 120watt light on the hot end, my house stays at around 74F. I do not use any underneath heating sources, since the light does a nice even job with heating, but you are right that I might need to try some new things if he still does not eat. He again did not eat yesterday with the tuna scented fuzzy. Might go with pinkies also. The enclosure is a 36x12x14 or so enclosure. One thing I noticed that I have been concerned about was that after his last shed, there is a grey spot on his left eye, it is hard to see as it is mostly clear, something like 20% opacity, and I think it is due to having improperly shed the skin over that eye. Now it has not stopped him from eating about 6 times before this stop so I am not sure how much of this is due to this anomaly.

[ddmac]

I left the tuna scented mouse over night, just saw him approach the mouse in the afternoon now as he came out of the bedding. He apprached the mouse with obvious partial interest in the smell, tongue really flickering, but when he was over the mouse, he smelled it and really shot back quite hysterically. Not sure it is the tuna he despises or the mouse now. It was quite obvious he did not like what he smelled.

[TheScienceSnake]

Mine stopped eating for about 3-4 months during mating season thats normal just try once a week. don't force feed unless its been 6-7 months. Try feeding it a baby toad

[ddmac]

https://c2.staticflickr.com/9/8664/30495179705_6116728500_k.jpg

Here is a photo of the snake in question. You can see he is a bit skinny. When he is on his regular feeding he is a bit stockier looking. But otherwise looks perfectly fine.

[Albert Clark]

Whoa! He looks great. He doesn't look skinny to me but I don't know him. I would keep the light off and since you don't have a uth then just ride him out with the cooler temps. Especially since his last meal was 2 months ago. IMO, I wouldn't try feeding him for the next month or two and try to gradually decrease the ambient temps to overall 50F-55F. Then bring him out of the cooler temps gradually.

[bigsnakegirl785]

I keep the warm side around 88-94. He seems to have a heavy preference to that side even when he buries himself for the night. The other side is around 78-80. I make sure he is not next to any air vent for that can cause skin problems from past experience for the air is very dry. I have been trying to bathe him in lukewarm water for in the past that has worked sometimes. He does not have any mite issues like in the past. I have never brumated. When he gets into his usual spring hibernation I lower the lights a bit and let the cage become cooler. I use a 120watt light on the hot end, my house stays at around 74F. I do not use any underneath heating sources, since the light does a nice even job with heating, but you are right that I might need to try some new things if he still does not eat. He again did not eat yesterday with the tuna scented fuzzy. Might go with pinkies also. The enclosure is a 36x12x14 or so enclosure. One thing I noticed that I have been concerned about was that after his last shed, there is a grey spot on his left eye, it is hard to see as it is mostly clear, something like 20% opacity, and I think it is due to having improperly shed the skin over that eye. Now it has not stopped him from eating about 6 times before this stop so I am not sure how much of this is due to this anomaly.

If it's just a spot, I don't think it's stuck shed. With his age and your description I might suspect a cataract (garters are really prone to these not too sure about hoggies though). Try getting a photo of it with flash or a light or something, and get it focused as much as possible.

Refusing food, weight loss, cataracts, loss of mobility, etc. in any combination are all signs of advanced age. Which I mostly only see in garters because very few people manage to keep their boids (or most anything) until the end of their lives. Many die young or are given away.

[ddmac]

What is interesting about this spot is that it is a above the eye and eyeball, you can clearly see his eye move underneath it. So I am not too sure. 11 Years is not considered terribly old for a hognose, I think they often reach 15+ so I am not sure it is age quite yet, does he have the same vigor as when he was just a few years old, no, but he is surely very much still poentially quite active.

Albert, he is a tad bit skinnier, they tend to get a bit fatter around the waist when they eat normally, at least mine does. But for sure he is not terribly underweight either. A part of me is afraid not to offer him food at all. I have tried lowering the temps, so far by having shorter daylight hours and it seems to have slowed him down even more, which is good considering he is not eating. I still want to try buying pinkies not from a store, frozen ones and trying to see how he reacts.

Thank you guys for all the feedback, he has been my companion since my early childhood so I am hoping he will get back to normal soon and it is just a regular phase.

[JellyBean]

I hope for success on your next attempt. I know it's worrisome, but they can survive much longer without eating. I hope you find some comfort soon (((hugs)))