Somewhat unexpected acquisition

[Xaila]

So I was cruising craigslist looking for second-hand racks and supplies when I came across an ad for a cool looking vivarium that also came with an adult female hognose. I'm kind of wary of getting pets through craigslist but I'd NEVER seen a hog on there before and I really fell for her.

I just picked her up today. She's thought to be about 4 years old. I'm pretty sure she's actually female, but she's way underweight in my limited experience. Her skin feels loose around her body. I have no idea why, but her owner had unplugged her UTH over two weeks agoI have no idea when she last ate either. I have a growing suspicion she might have a respiratory infection as well - pretty sure I heard her wheeze a bit when I was holding her. No bubbles around the nostrils or open-mouth though. Anything else I should be looking for?

I took a quick pic of her in the setup I got her in. It's actually a badass-looking viv that I definitely want to keep but I suspect it's not the best for a hognose, especially if she's ill. I'm going to set her up a clean tub with aspen or paper towels in a bit. I just didn't want to move her right away and stress her out.



What do you think, guys? Should I bring her to my vet ASAP if she's got the signs of an RI?

[oskyle1567]

Sometimes hogs make a noise that sounds like wheezing or rasping noise when they become defensive. Dont write it off though watch her very closely for extra mucus bubbles ext. Im not sure about the loose skin though maybe dehydrated?

[TJ_Burton]

I'd need to see more photos to be able to determine if the hognose is underweight, and if so, to what severity. In general, I find hognose skin/scales to feel more "loose" or less taught than many other snake species. They should always feel like they have a little extra room in their skin so to speak; these snakes should never feel firm like a ball python etc.

Hope to see some more pics of the snake outside the enclosure!

[Xaila]

I'll definitely take some more photos later, hopefully with a better camera than my cell phone. I'll try to get a weight too when I get my scale back.

[Xaila]

I tried to get some photos but she did NOT want to stay still.



As for the wheeze, I paid more attention to her body language when she was doing it and it does seem to be hissing. I'm only used to hearing that on much tinier snakes I'll be keeping a close eye/ear though.

[TJ_Burton]

She looks a little thin, but she isn't a mess or anything. Regular feedings for a month or two and she will be up to a normal weight. How long is she and what is her current weight?

[Xaila]

Haven't gotten my scale back yet but I'll weigh her when I do. Attempts to measure her were a laughable mess because she's VERY wiggly. Unless someone's got a better idea than the old piece of string method?

I'm happy to say that she's a voracious feeder though. She took two small hopper (really more like large fuzzies) mice today. For next time I'll try and find a larger size mouse so I can just feed her one prey item at once.

[Virus]

She looks like she could easily munch on a large hopper. My male is a couple of years old, and he was getting too much of a belly off of adult mice, but has maintained a healthy weight since I dropped him back down a bit.

All in all, she's a great looking hog, and hogs are my favorite species I've dealt with thus far. (Just don't tell the balls I said that.)

[elbee]

She is a cutie, nice color too. I have an adult female and she takes adult mice or rat fuzzies. Mine also has a voracious appetite. As for the noise, hoggies hiss a lot and I'm sure the sound you heard was a defensive hiss.

[Xaila]

I finally got her weight today. She's about 258 grams and that's after a feed of a small adult mouse (I would say approx. the size or a little smaller than a rat pup). She seems to have chilled out a lot too. Very cute as well...likes to burrow in the substrate and leave her head sticking out.