Important Hognose Question

[HtotheB]

Stopped by the place and checked out the new hognose that I am going to buy. Was going to get it today but the payment for my credit card hadn't gone through yet (heh heh heh). Anyhow, the hogs they had there seemed to be in good shape, were healthy and active. However, I mentioned to the worker there that I was using ZooMed white reptisand for substrate, and he proceeded to tell me that he dosen't recommend that the hog be kept on just sand alone. He suggested mulch-type substrate instead.

This came as a pretty big surprise/shock to me, as I had already spent like 25 bucks on 2 4.5kg bags of the stuff. I know you aren't supposed to feed them on sand under any circumstances, but I thought it was perfectly fine from what ive read to keep them on it. He also said that sand wasn't their natural habitat anyhow. Am I reading hte wrong posts and care sheets? From all i have read, they are from the southern states and prefer sandy soil to burrow in.

Maybe someone can clear this up for me. I am going back tommorow night to purchase the snake and I will have time to change the substrate and reheat it if necessary! I must say though, the hogs were really friendly, i can't wait to get it here for good...

[LdyDrgn]

Sand is not a good substrate! It gets under the scales, causes irritation and possibly infection. Cypress mulch is a great substrate for hognosed. What one are you looking to buy? A Western or a Southern?

Rinse the mulch well (the water will be brown from the tannins in the wood) and drain. Let it air out a bit, but not completely bone dry. Slightly damp mulch will provide the humidity for the snake. :)

[HtotheB]

Thanks for your reponse! I hear so many differing takes on this matter.

From a ************** user:

Sand is fine, but you have to be careful. If you wash food, throw it in wet, and they drag it through the sand, they will hurt themselves swallowing sand. I find they shake the sand off of dry food before eating it. You could try hand feeding them, a better food dish, or what I have (50/50 sand/peat), which is a bit better. You could even go so far as suspending leaves of food from the roof if you so desire. By the way "calci-sand" is the exception and is unacceptable

I've read a few opinions like this one. Is it just an undesirable risk to put a snake on sand, or is it an inevitability that living on sand will cause the snake to eventually develop problems. The reason being I like the desert sort of look that the sand provides, and I'm imagining it will be very easy to spot stool as well. On the other hand I dont want to take any unnecessarily stupid risks! HM\
andrew

[Vanan]

I agree with LdyDrgn. Try crushed walnust shells. Heavier than sand but less likely to get into their cloaca and nostrils. Used to use em for my hogs but they eventually got too heavy for my racks. Now I just use newspaper. Yuckky ol newspaper.

[reverendsterlin]

I keep my hognose on carefresh and he seems to enjoy burrowing all about. It just needs to be remembered that a bit larger waterdish is used just in case, but I have yet to notice any dehydration issues.

[Simon R. Sansom]

Hi,
I have a single young male Western Hognose, and I keep him on aspen shavings. He can burrow in it if he wants, but I find that he actually does very little "tunnelling". He's more often out cruising around in plain view.

I would tend to stay away from keeping the snake on sand. I'm not saying that it WILL cause trouble, but there IS always the possibility. It really ends up being your call. If you do opt to use sand, be scrupulous in your husbandry and make sure to feed the animal in a separate container. Always check the snake for plugged or crusted nostrils, mouth, vent, etc..

Cheers!

Simon

[yankeefoxtrot]

cypress all the way for my hog. People have problems with the same and other substraits being ingested or lodged under the scales which can be a very big problem!

Lucas

[Colonel SB]

I use a mix of potting soil and sand, going for the totally natural look.

[HtotheB]

Yah i got him on sand but have a lot of moss here and there and around his hideout. He loves to tunnel through the sand. I don't think he has his technique quite perfected yet though.

He threw me for a loop today - was changing his water and couldn't seem to find him. Started to panick, but ended up he was burried in the sand under his hidebox. Phew..

hb