New hognose, conflicting info, need some help?

DannySpiders · 04-12-17, 12:02 AM

I got a hognose from Twin Cities Reptile recently and on his card it said he was a 2015, making him at least a year and a half-ish old. If anyone knows about TC Reptile they're pretty awesome from my own personal experience. We got our corn snake there and had detailed records going back to her hatch date.

Now, his card had three entries and they told us they lost the old one, which is fine, but if he's a 2015 he is incredibly undersized at a mere 12 inches and 13.13 grams.

Is it possible that he is a severely undersized hognose, or is he not possibly that age? Everything I've read says he should be less than four months old at this point.

We are hoping he takes well to his feeding schedule, which is going to be upped to one pinky every three days.

If anyone has tips or anything that would be great! He's our first hognose and I really thought they were just slow growers, especially since boys are so much smaller anyway.

**Tsubaki** · 04-12-17, 04:33 AM

Could you share a picture of this animal? I have an adult male that measures in at only about 16 inch. It could just be a small one if he eats properly. One pinky every 3 days is too much, their digestive system needs a longer break in between meals!

**Andy_G** · 04-12-17, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsubaki

Could you share a picture of this animal? I have an adult male that measures in at only about 16 inch. It could just be a small one if he eats properly. One pinky every 3 days is too much, their digestive system needs a longer break in between meals!

I actually disagree with this, respectfully. Every 3 to 4 days while on pinkies is acceptable with this species. Even most adult hognose do well on an every 5 to 7 day schedule. My guess is that this male would be 4 to 6 months old, or older...even a 2015...if it's a poor feeder. Keep us all updated.

Scubadiver59 · 04-12-17, 04:35 AM

Welcome to sSNAKESs!

eminart · 04-12-17, 09:33 AM

I bought my daughter a pair of hognose for her bday last March (2016). They were also 2015 babies. I was quite surprised by how small they were when we got them, and by how little they've grown in the year we've had them. I'm betting the male, like yours, probably isn't much more than 12 inches. And they've been fed on a pretty heavy schedule. This is my first experience with keeping hogs, so I've been assuming it was normal. They're very healthy, beautiful animals, just small.

**Andy_G** · 04-12-17, 11:32 AM

If fed normally (every 3 to 5 days for hatchlings), males should hit about 20-30 grams by their first year of age and females up to 100 grams. If they're put on fuzzies as soon as possible, growth rates really take off. Keeping them too cool, feeding infrequently, as well as possible parasites can all affect this growth. This species, especially females, are actually rapid growers and before a lot was known about the species it was common for females to be bred at 2 years of age (now it's known that this is a bad idea and greatly contributes to a shorter lifespan and many reproductive issues including egg binding and poorly calcified eggs). Sometimes the growth can seem slow because of the fact that they're such a short stout species.

eminart · 04-12-17, 12:50 PM

It's possible that my daughter's two hognoses are actually a little larger than I'm thinking. They've certainly grown. I haven't weighed them. And, it's possible that I have a distorted view of how much they should have grown. I'm really not accustomed to small snakes.

DannySpiders · 04-12-17, 09:13 PM

I can't seem to post a pic from my phone?

He is a really good feeder, hasn't missed a meal in our care. His tank is kept in the high 80s/low 90s for his hot spot and the gradient shifts to 70 on his cool side. While the majority of his enclosure is dry, his hide is moist and his sheds are good.

Thank you everyone for the info and the warm welcome!

**Andy_G** · 04-13-17, 07:25 AM

Everything sounds fine, and nice hognose!

brandonh · 05-14-17, 05:15 PM

I think it is normal I have a male hog that will be 2 in July he is only 18 inches long. They seem to grow very fast and eat and eat. I have to limit his food so he don't become over weight!

TRD · 05-15-17, 01:48 PM

I want one, but Hungary put them on the DWA list....

crap!

BillyCostume · 05-15-17, 04:40 PM

So cute he looks great

I want to pick up a couple of these guys in the future

trailblazer295 · 05-15-17, 05:14 PM

You must seek out the one they call the reptiaholic, there you will the answers you seek.

Welcome to ssnakess