Male Hognose.. 6 months later..

[chaosrah]

Some of you may remember my post about the adult male western hognose I bought from someone at Repticon, and it never eating for me. Some of you gave me some good suggestions, I've gotten other suggestions elsewhere. Nothing has worked. I'm at the end of my rope with this snake. I don't want it to die, but I don't know what I can do. Anyone know

Comments

[roeskva]

I don't know anything particular about hognoses - I have ball pythons. However, our male ball python is often VERY difficult to get to eat, and this time has been the longest he hasn't eaten - since December. However, he ate one mouse yesterday. YAY!

What worked this time was putting him in a dark box for about an hour, then put a f/t mouse in with him after that time. The mouse was warm, from warmest tap water. We then left the snake with the mouse for some time, and after about half an hour, he ate it!

The only other thing that has worked is making sure the mouse is very warm (thawing in hottest tap-water, like mouse body-temperature). Then give it to him after drying the mouse in a paper towel.

I am assuming you have tried daytime, twilight, and nighttime for feeding? And different sizes/colours of mice? Our snakes prefer white female mice.

As for smelling the female - yes, that is a possibility. I have heard others have this issue, and I know our male ball python may have been affected by smelling the female. I have been told that it can help to take his box to another room for a week, then let him feed in that room. After that, when he is back to eating normally, he and his box can be put back, and he should continue to eat normally after being jolted out of the mating urge. I haven't tried this, but it is worth trying, I guess.

Could anything else be stressing him? Our male snake doesn't like the sound of the air humidifier.

Good luck! I hope you get him to eat soon!

[chaosrah]

Er, male hognoses are no where near as big as balls, he was supposedly eating f/t fuzzy mice when i got him, but i've been trying with pinkies, can't really tell their color.

I'll try moving him to another room, though.

[roeskva]

Yeah, I know they are smaller, but he is an adult, so he should be able to eat larger mice than a fuzzy, and just as a smaller prey can make them eat, a larger one sometimes can too. They can usually eat prey that are as big as the snake are wide on the widest spot. I would think he can at least eat a popcorn, or maybe a little larger?

Also, it's not unusual for snakes to go off feed during winter, so maybe he'll eat since winter is over now.

Afaik, hognoses eat eggs, frogs, and lizards in nature, aside from rodents, so have you tried scenting the mouse with tuna/salmon, perhaps?