New Hognose Need Advice - Page 2

Will0W783 · 12-22-10, 09:45 AM

Hoppers do have teeth at that point, but they are tiny. However, hognoses are also tiny snakes. My hoggie is terrified of live mice and won't touch them. He gets f/t rat pinks or mouse hoppers.

Lankyrob · 12-22-10, 09:46 AM

Once hte prey item has teth and claws it is a threat to the snake - it is bound to attempt to fight back when its is being eaten. Saying that some people feed live all the time with out having issues - not someting i would do tho unlses it was the absolute final option.

Will0W783 · 12-22-10, 09:47 AM

Hognoses can definitely be picky eaters- but then again a lot of species can. Ball pythons and GTPs are known for being ridiculous to get started sometimes. I have not bred hognoses so I cannot say from personal experience, but I do see a lot of healthy baby hoggies, so I can't imagine it's that hard. Was she eating before she left the breeder? A breeder should not sell a snake that isn't eating steadily, IMO.

NennaMeerkat · 12-22-10, 09:52 AM

The breeder said she fed all her babies every monday and that all of her snakes had been fed. So I would assume that she had been feeding normally. If she doesn't end up eating though I guess it is a good thing the breeder is willing to help out and only lives about 20 min. away. But having her feed there and not here...wouldn't that have to be a constant thing? Doubt the breeder is willing to do that LOL

And though I have never done it what about stunning a live prey item before giving it to the snake? I worked for a zoo for several years who had many big and small snakes and we always fed live, not stunned or frozen, to our snakes. Even the two hognose they had would easily eat a full grown mouse (the female they had would sometimes eat up to three) without problem or injury. Even our two cornsnakes would eat live. Interestingly enough one would systematically kill every mouse that we put in the feed bucket before eating any of it. It was kind of cool to see the snake with three mice in its coils.

Will0W783 · 12-22-10, 10:02 AM

No, it wouldn't be constant. You would probably have to leave the snake there until she is eating steadily again. Driving her back and forth will most likely make her not eat- most snakes take anywhere from a week to a month to settle in to a new environment before they'll eat. I've had a few that ate within days of me getting them, but usually it's a week or two.

NennaMeerkat · 12-22-10, 10:16 AM

Well the pet store nearby has pinkies for sale, gonna get my husband to pick them up when he gets off work today. Gonna try and feed her tonight a couple of small live pinkies. If it doesn't work worse comes to worse I freeze them and take them to the breeder so she doesn't have to use her own stock of pinkies to feed her with.

Ch^4 · 12-22-10, 11:14 AM

Hopefully that works for you. As Kim said, taking your little hoggy to the breeder's house for feeding will likely cause stress and prevent her from eating. My Jungle Carpet Python didn't take food for about 13 days when I first got her, and they are notorious for being garbage disposals. I'd try the live and be patient; it may take a couple weeks. Good luck and keep us posted!

NennaMeerkat · 12-22-10, 11:23 AM

Will do Ch^4 I feel I have "dragged" all of you in on this and it would be unfair to not say something!

Ch^4 · 12-22-10, 11:31 AM

That's why the forum is here! For herp enthusiasts to talk, discuss, and share! Everyone here is willing to lend a helping hand, which makes this site so great!

I'm sure you'll do the same when someone new asks about their baby hoggy who's not eating.

Will0W783 · 12-22-10, 12:12 PM

Exactly, we are here to help. Don't ever feel bad about asking advice.

totheend · 12-22-10, 05:41 PM

Don't try to feed her tonight. The more you try to feed her the more you stress her out and the longer that she is going to take to eat. I also wouldn't try scenting. If she was eating unscented mice, she will eat again don't worry. Once a snake has started eating it will eat. You need to be patient. All snakes are different. I have had a BP eat as soon as I brought it home....I have had a BP wait a month before it ate with me. Really the key is to relax. She will eat but she needs to be left alone for a while. I have hoggies that love to eat and others that I swear only eat enough to stay alive

.

NennaMeerkat · 12-22-10, 06:31 PM

Well they ended up not having any live pinkies so I got the the frozen one out that we had before. She doesn't seem as much of a spaz as she has been and even spent the day outside of her hides. Right now she is in the back of the house where it is quiet and dark with the thawed pinkie. If it doesn't work I will just wait until after xmas when the store does have more babies in stock and then try then.

The only reason I wanted to try today was because she was out and about from her hidey holes that we had setup. And not just dashing away or anything like that. I figured it was the first time she is coming out. Worse comes to worse I will just put her back into her home and let her chill...but she honestly didn't look like she just wanted to dash away or freak out when I put in the thawed pinkie.

NennaMeerkat · 12-22-10, 08:20 PM

UPDATE:
She didn't eat the thawed pinkie so we are going to wait until our pet store has some live ones to try on her. Probably won't have any until after xmas so that will be plenty of time for her to mellow again if there was any stress in trying to feed. Personally though she didn't seem upset at all. Just curled herself around the dead pinkie (I assume because it was warm) for the entire hour that I left her alone with it. Did not notice any time that she tried to eat it. Have an infrared light that I used the check on her every 15 min.

Ch^4 · 12-22-10, 08:28 PM

Unlike mammals, snakes do not have a good way to convey that they are stressed; she may appear to be perfectly normal and oblivious of your interaction, but she may actually be really stressed.

Waiting until after Xmas will likely be good for both you and the snake. Just try to provide her with as much solitude as possible and hopefully your next attempt will be successful! Keep us posted and good luck!

NennaMeerkat · 12-24-10, 02:03 PM

Big Big Update
Our local home owned pet store finally got in some live pinkies today and called me right before closing for the holidays saying they had held 2 for me. Nice 2 fat ones and very lively. Anyways he suggested, from owning several hognose, to just put both pinkies in the aquarium with her. I had been taking her out. So came back home and found her all out and about curled up outside of her hide. I put a pinkie on either side of her and covered her up with a thick blanket. No stimuli no nothing, just the blanket covering her aquarium and me sitting in the dark quietly watching TV.

45 min. later (after an episode of Bones...great show must watch) I check on her with a red light from a tiny flashlight and to my amazement I don't see either pinkie! Checked all the hiding spots, under the reptile carpet, and I can't find anything! She is under her hide that has the heating pad beneath it and though she doesn't look lumpy I can only assume she ate BOTH of them. She ate BOTH! My poor baby must have been starving to eat both right? So for now I am assuming she has eaten and tomorrow morning I will remove the blanket and check the entire aquarium to make doubly sure. But if she has eaten them I don't want her to regurg...thus waiting until tomorrow to check anything.

KEEP FINGERS CROSSED! Its possible its a freaking xmas miracle!!