Western hognose help!

I'm doing a very FAST trade tonight with a local snake breeder.. I will be getting a young western hognose in the trade and was wondering if someone could recommend a good care sheet.

Any help will be greatly appreciated! I'm so busy today! I got the terms of this trade down maybe 12 hours ago so I haven't had much time to prepare, I will settle down in an hour or two to do some internet research, but I'm trying to get cages set up for the new additions right now.

Thanks in advance for any help, I really appreciate it!

http://www.hognose.com/pages/care/west.htm

Thanks a lot for that link, lots of good information on there.

Would aspen be alright to use as substrate for this snake? Or would you suggest something else?

And the breeder I'm getting the snake from (hes mainly a RTB breeder I believe) said that he pre-secents the mice with a toad for the snake.. the article you sent touched breifly on this topic.. is this something people have to do often?

western hognoses are usually strong rodent feeders once eating, so I would try without toad scenting and see how it works, not saying it will, but usually Westerns aren't too picky eaters. And yeah aspen works.

Okay great thanks. I think hes bringing me the toad, so I will continue using it for the first 2 weeks the snake is here, then try without scenting and I'll see how it goes

Okay, here's a link... Nah, I'll tell you the info myself :D. The cage furnishings are the same as a lot of snakes except for one thing. For substrate, use crushed english walnut (because it's "diggable" and still firm). When it's time to feed him/her (I sure hope you got a female), put something above the substrate that has short sides (like the top of a shoe-box turned upside-down) and place the mouse and the snake in the short-sided object. Hognose snakes also require very low humidity
(%30-%40) so don't raise the humidity to aid them in shedding. Besides those two things, a Hognose snake's care is just like any other snake (but Hognoses themselves aren't). These chubby snakes have attitude (they hiss, make mock strikes, and form a hood like a cobra), something most snakes never do! Also, you can count on NOT getting bitten by one, b/c they won't bite you. Ever (unless you smell like food). You made a great choice to get one!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by edie

Thanks a lot for that link, lots of good information on there.

Would aspen be alright to use as substrate for this snake? Or would you suggest something else?

And the breeder I'm getting the snake from (hes mainly a RTB breeder I believe) said that he pre-secents the mice with a toad for the snake.. the article you sent touched breifly on this topic.. is this something people have to do often?

---

Nope, I have never done that for my Hognose and most people don't have to.

it's all personal preference, honestly I would never use crushed walnut

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Onua Nuva

Okay, here's a link... Nah, I'll tell you the info myself :D. The cage furnishings are the same as a lot of snakes except for one thing. For substrate, use crushed english walnut (because it's "diggable" and still firm). When it's time to feed him/her (I sure hope you got a female), put something above the substrate that has short sides (like the top of a shoe-box turned upside-down) and place the mouse and the snake in the short-sided object. Hognose snakes also require very low humidity
(%30-%40) so don't raise the humidity to aid them in shedding. Besides those two things, a Hognose snake's care is just like any other snake (but Hognoses themselves aren't). These chubby snakes have attitude (they hiss, make mock strikes, and form a hood like a cobra), something most snakes never do! Also, you can count on NOT getting bitten by one, b/c they won't bite you. Ever (unless you smell like food). You made a great choice to get one!

---

Hey, thanks a lot for that info. Is there a huge difference between the males and females in case mine is a male? I'm sure the breeder will let me know when he gets here, we did this trade set up really fast so I did not have time to ask tons of questions.. I just really wanted the female RTBs which I'm getting, this little guy is just a perk!

I have not had to scent anything for my hoggie to eat. I would see what his feeding response is a few days after getting him home. He may not eat right away. Mine has an amazing feeding response. I use aspen and it's working well. It's easy to spot clean and he can dig like crazy in it. Good luck!

Thanks, I think I am going to go with the aspen since I've been using it with all of my other snakes, and its been working really well for them.
When I get a new snake I like to try and feed it the same way the previous owner would have fed it for the first 2 weeks to make sure it doesn't refuse anything.. but then I work on switching them.. This has worked well for me with switching my BPs to f/t from live so I'm going to try it with the new guys too.. I'm really excited to see the hognose when it gets here! I've never seen one besides in pictures :)

They are woderful little snakes. Just keep an eye out when handling to make sure he does not start nibbling on your finger. Some folks who are allergic can have a really bad reaction if the rear fangs dig in. Best of luck with all of your new additions!

Yeah, I have had some slight allergic reactions due to insect/arachnid bites so I will have to make sure to be careful not be get bitten by this little guy.. just in case I have the same sort of reactions