Intro to my Hoggies

[Skiploder]

Your setups look good to me, although using a temp gun or digital thermometer with a temp probe at the hot spot would be a much more accurate way to tell how warm the enclosure is getting.

In regards to UVB:
It has been more recently discussed that Western Hognose do in fact benefit from UVB lighting. Female hogs specifically seem to become calcium deficient with age and fertility, causing the need for UVB (D3) and calcium supplementation. I have spoken with a few big breeders who have all agreed that their breeder females fare much better when either given UVB during daytime hours, or when food is supplemented with Calcium containing D3. I personally use the Cal/D3 method as I keep my hogs in a rack system and UV lighting is not an option. I would either continue to use UVB for your hogs, or simply switch to Cal/D3 and dunk the rodent's behinds in it prior to feeding the hogs.




I am not sure how many hogs you have worked with, but given the 75 or so hogs I have had in my care, I find that males and females are absolutely equal when it comes to feeding issues.

I also find that the temp being correct will affect feeding to a degree, but raising temps if they are slightly low (84.F) will not necessarily make a difference. I have had better luck with the methods I mentioned earlier (not offering food for 30 days, and then offering food in different ways depending on the snakes disposition).

I never recommend live pray with older hogs; the pray size they would require are usually able to defend themselves, and given hogs are not constrictors and take their prey live, they are at much greater risk for injury during feeding. I have never found males or females to prefer live prey at adult sizes, but if feeding becomes a major issue and the hog refuses meal for 3 months, you can try scenting with a toad. This is usually a last ditch resort and I have never had to use it. I do know of some big breeders who like to utilize the toad scenting method though, so it is an option.

I've been keeping hognoses since I was 17 years old, and have bred them off and on for well over 20 years. While hoggies have become popular over the last 6 years or so with the explosion in morphs, I remember when I could not give them away...........

Regardless, I've been keeping snakes for over 3 decades and have long since learned that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Just because what I recommend does not jive with your practices does not make me wrong or you right - or vice versa - agreed?

I have a male mexican hognose that will routinely fast for up to four months out of the year and has done so for 10 years. I have had far more feeding problems with males than with females and I have had far more success in getting them to eat when they have a 90 degree hot spot to utilize.

In fact, other heterodon keepers often find feeding success with hot spot temps in excess of 90 degrees......