Recommendations for Hognose portability?

[GUITARZAN509]

Hognose snakes are pretty straight forward to take care of no special requirements other than Aspen bedding to burrow under. If your getting a baby, starting them out in a small plastic sweater box from Walmart or some other place will hold one for awhile provided you make enough air holes in the lid to breath and let moisture out. I am keeping my 8 month old Mexican Hoggies in plastic boxes that are 6.2 qt. with heat pads under them. Good luck P.S Snakes will not bond with a person, like a cat or dog

[Duelist]

While I'd be partially lying if I said I knew snakes didn't bond, I meant bonding in more of them getting used to you/them not seeing you as a threat. And in general make them ok with you holding them.

I've been looking at the different cage makers, and so far Animal Plastics seems like what I'm looking for. They have a fairly wide (48") dual sliding door cage that's seemingly perfect based on the recommendations so far. So I'm probably going to order that on Friday.

Do I actually need a bulb? Because from most snake setups I've seen, they don't use any.

I'm also not sure about the whole humidity thing. Some people use it, others don't. Would they be a good idea for hoggies?

So far on my list:
Cage
Thermostat (if I'm going to do a 2 sided cage, do I need 2 thermostats?)
Bedding (thinking about aspen)
Mice, water bowl, and feeding tongs.

Anything I'm missing?

[mrderson]

I think the not seeing you as a threat has a lot to do with the individual snake, my female often comes out to see whats going on when I clean the cage but my male almost always hides. But occasional handling can help to get the snake used to you and less afraid of being picked up or you cleaning the cage.

I have never heard anyone say a bulb is necessary with a hognose, the heat pad should be enough.

I provide a humid hide and mist the enclosures every once and a while. They don't require much humidity but they seem to appreciate a humid hide (or higher humidity in the cage) when they are shedding.

You should also get a temperature gun, I am sure someone on here can provide a good brand as I don't know which ones are best. If the room the snake will be in is very cold you may need two heat pads and two thermostats but I have always been able to keep a temperature gradient with just one. You can start with one and test the enclosure for a while to see if another one is necessary.

[Mikoh4792]

Originally Posted by Duelist

While I'd be partially lying if I said I knew snakes didn't bond, I meant bonding in more of them getting used to you/them not seeing you as a threat. And in general make them ok with you holding them.

I've been looking at the different cage makers, and so far Animal Plastics seems like what I'm looking for. They have a fairly wide (48") dual sliding door cage that's seemingly perfect based on the recommendations so far. So I'm probably going to order that on Friday.

Do I actually need a bulb? Because from most snake setups I've seen, they don't use any.

I'm also not sure about the whole humidity thing. Some people use it, others don't. Would they be a good idea for hoggies?

So far on my list:
Cage
Thermostat (if I'm going to do a 2 sided cage, do I need 2 thermostats?)
Bedding (thinking about aspen)
Mice, water bowl, and feeding tongs.

Anything I'm missing?

You need to control every heat source. So if you are using two heat sources(for example a radiant heat panel and a heat mat), then you need a thermostat that will be able to control two heat sources independently(ex. herpstat 2, vivarium electronics300x2).


you don't need to use a bulb, and I wouldn't reccomend them. If you do use a bulb, you'll need to install a guard around it, or have the makers install a cut out for a lamp screen. A heat mat should be enough most of the time, and if you're house gets very cold in the winter you could use a radiant heat panel in conjunction with a heat mat to help raise ambient air temperature.

[Bacon]

I love my western hognose, he is a blustery little sweetheart. He is very amicable to handling, even if he has attitude sometimes. If he is having a "hissy fit" I take it as a cue that he doesn't want to be bothered, so I don't push him. While they don't "bond" I find my hognose is much more friendly/inquisitive/calm than my corn snake. Maybe it's personality, or that we raised the hog from a little baby, or who knows but there is a noticeable difference. He will come out to watch us if we are fussing around the cage, and is often sitting with his head positioned so he can look out the glass at us.

One thing, that's been touched a bit, but I want to emphasize is the feeding. This is my only reservation about these snakes, and the only big problem I've had with mine. It seems like males more so, but they can be difficult about food, especially in winter. Try to get an established feeder, as a first snake a good feeding response will be way less stressful on you, if a little less cute. I've found leaving the thawed mice in a plastic tub inside the cage works best for me. Tong feeding and feeding out of the enclosure freaks our guy out. I get my frozen mice from rodentpro since they come to our area reptile show.

I provide humid hides in addition the the normal ones, I can't control the humidity well enough in the overall cage. They are just ziploc tubs with a hole in the lid filled with damp peat moss or coco coir in them, a warm and a cool one. He really only uses them when he is about to shed.

I use a light (low wattage outside the screen lid) that puts out some heat to get the ambient air temp up and gives him a day/night cycle as well.

I'd add a scale to your list. Tracking weights is good record keeping, and is great piece of mind should the snake decide to fast. It's also kind of fun, to me anyway

I wouldn't worry much about "stupid" questions we've all had our share of our own.

[EL Ziggy]

You'll need at least 2 hides-one on the warm side, one on the cool side, and a humid hide might be nice too. I'd recommend a temp gun and you may want to add some fake plants for cover. Best wishes with your new addition.

[Duelist]

Since there are things I've been trying to get for a while now, and other things I need to get done. I'm going to hold off getting my hoggie. I just want to make sure I fully understand how to set everything up, and everything I will need. Plus, in a week or 2 I'll actually have plenty of spendable cash for him.

Thank you everyone, you're all fantastic. You're all so nice, well-informed, and willing to inform.

Another thing: Since the thread title is very off at this point, I'll make another thread when I get there.

Again, thank you all.

[Mikoh4792]

Anytime.

I appreciate your choice to fully prepare before acquiring a pet snake. As said before, many people come here asking questions after they've bought an animal and realized they don't know how to care for one.