Not eating

[Sophieg]

Hi everyone. I feel bad posting this because I know theres so many posts on hognoses not eating.. I've spent hours looking through old posts on getting them to eat and so I'm not sure where I'm going wrong exactly.

I got my male hognose (3 mths old) on the 24th October this year and the breeder said he was eating really well on unscented (she gave me a piece of paper with all his feeds on).

If u read my other post, u will know she fed him the day before I picked him up and so he regurgitated that on the way back home. So I put him in his enclosure and left him 2 weeks to recover. (His enclosure is a 3 litre RUB, heatmat on one side set to 31 degrees C, ambient temp of 24-26 degrees C, a toilet roll tube, a small water bowl and a few inches of aspen).

I first offered him a pinky by showing it to him first (he hissed) and so I left it in there on a plastic lid so it was off the bedding. He didnt touch it. I bought him a feeding dish which I now keep in there. I offered again 3 or 4 days later but this time I just put it straight in the dish so he didnt see me. Still didnt touch it. This time, I waited a week to try again. So i put it in the dish today but he was out exploring so he saw me and hissed. Last night I stuck paper round the outside of his RUB so he couldn't see any movement but hes now just been buried all day after putting the food in.

Also, I did handle him in the first week of having him (2 or 3 times, 1 time was to weigh him - 14g) but since then Ive completely stopped.

Should I try scenting? Surely if he was eating F/T unscented before, he would be fine? I cant try feeding live as I'm in the UK and live feeding is illegal here.

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[Zincubus]

You could have a go at the tried and trusted way for fussy eaters ...

Feed evenings , dark / dim light , get the viv/ rub door open and blast with a hairdryer for 5 seconds.. offer using TONGS


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[Sophieg]

You could have a go at the tried and trusted way for fussy eaters ...

Feed evenings , dark / dim light , get the viv/ rub door open and blast with a hairdryer for 5 seconds.. offer using TONGS


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I tried using tongs the first time when I showed it to him, I think he was scared of it! And I've had his rub mostly covered over all day today so it has been dim lighting

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[Zincubus]

I tried using tongs the first time when I showed it to him, I think he was scared of it! And I've had his rub mostly covered over all day today so it has been dim lighting

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Many feed better at night , many including Royals feed better from within their hides ( security)


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[Sophieg]

Many feed better at night , many including Royals feed better from within their hides ( security)


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I leave the mouse in until after it's dark

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[Craiga 01453]

You could have a go at the tried and trusted way for fussy eaters ...

Feed evenings , dark / dim light , get the viv/ rub door open and blast with a hairdryer for 5 seconds.. offer using TONGS


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Juvenile Hognose typically won't feed off of tongs until they get some size on them.

Obviously still use tongs, but don't try to feed him off of the tongs. Just get the pinkie in there so he knows it's there, then leave it. More often than not, in my experience, they usually eat after hissing, they just don't want you there watching.

[Zincubus]

Apologies.. I have no experience of Hoggies .... just passing on what works for me in getting snakes to feed ( in general) .. we don’t feed live over here ( UK)


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[Sophieg]

Juvenile Hognose typically won't feed off of tongs until they get some size on them.

Obviously still use tongs, but don't try to feed him off of the tongs. Just get the pinkie in there so he knows it's there, then leave it. More often than not, in my experience, they usually eat after hissing, they just don't want you there watching.

Yea I've just been putting it in there and then leaving him but he hasn't shown any interest.

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[Craiga 01453]

Apologies.. I have no experience of Hoggies .... just passing on what works for me in getting snakes to feed ( in general) .. we don’t feed live over here ( UK)


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No worries at all. I figured it was nothing more than an oversight. I just figured it was worth pointing out for OP.

This species happens to be a bit of an "exception to the rule". They are definitely "all bark and no bite" so to speak.
They'll put on quite a show, but when push comes to shove they spook pretty easily, so seeing that big hand and arm connected to the tongs can scare them off and lead to a refusal.

Otherwise, Zincubus's feeding method is tried and true.

[Sophieg]

No worries at all. I figured it was nothing more than an oversight. I just figured it was worth pointing out for OP.

This species happens to be a bit of an "exception to the rule". They are definitely "all bark and no bite" so to speak.
They'll put on quite a show, but when push comes to shove they spook pretty easily, so seeing that big hand and arm connected to the tongs can scare them off and lead to a refusal.

Otherwise, Zincubus's feeding method is tried and true.

I've been warming it up already but he still doesnt show interest which is why I was wondering if I should start scenting?

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