A few pointers in addition to what has been mentioned (great info by the way everybody!);
- I would advise using some kind of loose substrate such as aspen or sani chip when the time comes. Your hognose will be more comfortable burrowing and in a tank it's almost a necessity for them in order to feel secure at first. This caters to the fact that a snake is a positively thigmotactic animal, meaning that it will seek contact with objects in order to feel secure. This trait is amplified in burrowing species. You may luck out with an outgoing oddball but don't rely on this luck. Assuming you are getting a hatchling, if you were using a smaller tub I would say paper substrate would work but in a tank I would advise against it for the above reasoning.
- Cover the sides and the back with something. Anything will do. This will increase privacy and security of your snake.
-Temp guns only measure surface temperatures, not ambient temps, so it will not completely eliminate the need for thermometers but it is still a necessity.
-In order to have a hognose feed consistently, you need to achieve an ambient in the low 80's and offer a hot spot in the low 90's, I have always been an advocate of a 10 degree gradient for most temperate and tropical species (82 ambient, 92 hot spot for example is what I like with hognose) but this will vary from keeper to keeper. Before anyone thinks of mentioning it...yes, they do have a very wide range of habitat in the wild and experience much cooler temps then this and they still eat (much less regularly of course) and function...but there are many other factors that are involved between captive versus wild (natural UV, air qualities, habitat and predation factors, wind, dietary differences, all babies surviving in captivity verses only the strongest in the wild...just to name a few) so why not give them constant ideal conditions if we can? Depending on the ambient temps in your house and the type of caging used, you may have to use a bulb/che to achieve these ambient temps as well as using undertank heating for the hot spot. It is something you'll have to play with so it's good you have begun already that way you can work out any bugs.
-As previously mentioned, the dial thermometers and hygrometers are usually junk and highly inaccurate. There are inexpensive digital options that would be better suited for your snake.
- You can easily place the probe for the heat pad on the heat pad outside of the caging but keep in mind doing this may cause fluctuations of a couple degrees depending on how the room ambients fluctuate. Generally you don't want to have a probe inside the cage if you will be using any kind of tape...tape almost always creates a very bad situation eventually where the snake becomes stuck to it somehow.
- Many of us who have been keeping multiple animals for a long time rarely record normal things such as feedings, sheds and weights as we are able to observe and judge when a snake needs food by their behaviour as well as their last BM, but it takes some time to get comfortable doing this. Be very careful to not overanalyze or overthink recording everything at first, as sometimes you can be your own worst enemy. Feedings and sheds and perhaps a monthly weight if you wish should really be all you need to record at most, as well as dating any abnormalities in the case that you needed to see a vet. Some will be very meticulous with their records and will even record BMs...but if you see a poop after feeding everything is fine so I often fail to see the purpose of this specifically. If you do want to weigh more regularly as you are describing, do so only before feeding after the snake has emtied itself and hasn't eaten, doing so the other way will show repeated loss of a few grams simply due to passing said waste and could be a false sign of something wrong for a keeper. Many of us who have been keeping multiple animals for a long time rarely record these things as we are able to observe and judge when a snake needs food by their behaviour as well as their last BM (roughly), but it takes some time to get comfortable doing this. I honestly only weigh my animals every couple of months purely out of curiosity. In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it...or rather...if it ain't broke, don't drive youself crazy looking for signs that it is.
-Hognose snakes shouldn't soak unless perhaps in a shed. If the snake soaks, you should be concerned. Mites, excessive heat, as well as lack of security (water pacifies a positively thigmotactic animal really well) would all be reasons for a hognose snake to soak. You can use either dish, but the larger one is very big. If you do use the larger one, the weight of the water in it would realistically be enough to stop the snake from dumping it so the rock isn't needed for weight if that was the intention.
- Hognose snake have a reputation of being picky feeders. Usually it's because of a temp drop, sometimes it's stress related... basically almost always husbandry related...but some just stop eating for no reason. Keep in mind that you should only worry if the snake has had sudden extreme weight loss in excess of 15-20% of their body weight. Have patience, don't worry if they miss the odd feeding and just try again at the next scheduled feed, and most importantly, don't handle a snake that isn't eating unless absolutely necessary...and once you get your little one please don't handle it until it has eaten a few times a row in your care.
Hope some of this helps you.
So here is try number 2. I put both water bowls I am thinking of using. I am just concerned the small one will get dumped and is not big enough if the snake wants to soak for some reason.
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