Hognose not eating

[Wolfchan]

I have an adult male hypo hognose that I bought a few months ago. At first he was eating fine, then about 12 weeks ago he just stopped. I upped my husbandry game: he was in a 20 gallon long with aspen shavings, a couple of half-logs, and a water dish and I thought maybe he was bored, so I upgraded to a bioactive viv kit from the bio dude, and got him a daylight bulb as well. The bulb creates a TEENY hot spot (around the size of a quarter) that's around 104F and a large warm area that's ~95 around it(I'm measuring temp with an infrared temp gun). I see him out and about almost daily, and he usually spends several hours in the early afternoon under the bulb. I see him drink occasionally. He hisses and strikes if he sees me approach, typical hoggie stuff...but he didn't do that when he was in a plan box of shavings.

I'm only offering a mouse once a week, and I have not handled him in between feedings except a couple of times to weigh him. His weight is starting to drop a little, though he still looks/feels pretty sturdy. He was doing fine on FT hoppers for the first two months I had him, so I've continued offering those. I've left them out in his enclosure and I've tried confining him to a small box with them (he initially ate either way quite enthusiastically). I finally offered one scented with tuna juice, and today I went and got him a live fuzzy. I'm getting really worried about him, please help!

Here's a picture of his setup (the daylight bulb makes it too warm in the feeding box so I just turned it on for the picture and turned it right back off)

[Bogertophis]

It sounds to me as if you changed up his world just as he was getting used to it. Exactly how many months is a "few" that you've had him, because you said you
changed his enclosure completely about 3 months ago ("12 weeks")? So while I know you meant well, it seems to have set him back? Either that or he's noticed
the shorter days & maybe lower ambient temperatures of fall & that's why? I hope someone has more ideas for you than I do... How old is he? Did the previous
owner/breeder ever brumate him for breeding?

[Craiga 01453]

You've got to get those temps down. Your hotspot should be 86-88 and ambient in the mid 70s.

The high temps combined with the enclosure change could definitely trigger the food strike and the grouchy behavior.

[Wolfchan]

I can't find my receipt, but I've had him for about 6 months. I don't actually know how old he is, he was just advertised as "adult", so he may have been brumated in the past as I know the place I got him from produces a fair number of hognoses.

Without the daylight bulb it's around 80F on the warm side, so I'm going to spend today playing with the thermostat on his UTH and see if I can get that closer to 86-88 and just ditch the bulb. I tried to hook the same model bulb up to a dimmer and it just burned out.

I'm in northern California, so the days are definitely shorter and cooler now.

Thanks guys, hopefully I can get him comfortable and happy ASAP.

[Bogertophis]

Let us know how it goes, hope you get him going good again.

[Lusiphera]

I’m going through the same thing. I took in a Hognose that wasn’t eating and immediately was able to get it to eat. After three months he stopped. Hasn’t eaten more since March. He’s a sweetheart and only hisses when I offer him mice. The only thing I haven’t been able to try is toads. I don’t have access to them but someone did suggest soaking the mice in water from the local pet stores frog tank. When I go back this week to the pet store I’m going to try that. Maybe you can too. Or get toads if you have that option.

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I’m going through the same thing. I took in a Hognose that wasn’t eating and immediately was able to get it to eat. After three months he stopped. Hasn’t eaten more since March. He’s a sweetheart and only hisses when I offer him mice. The only thing I haven’t been able to try is toads. I don’t have access to them but someone did suggest soaking the mice in water from the local pet stores frog tank. When I go back this week to the pet store I’m going to try that. Maybe you can too. Or get toads if you have that option.

[Bogertophis]

I’m going through the same thing. I took in a Hognose that wasn’t eating and immediately was able to get it to eat. After three months he stopped. Hasn’t eaten more since March. He’s a sweetheart and only hisses when I offer him mice. The only thing I haven’t been able to try is toads. I don’t have access to them but someone did suggest soaking the mice in water from the local pet stores frog tank. When I go back this week to the pet store I’m going to try that. Maybe you can too. Or get toads if you have that option.

- - - Updated - - -

I’m going through the same thing. I took in a Hognose that wasn’t eating and immediately was able to get it to eat. After three months he stopped. Hasn’t eaten more since March. He’s a sweetheart and only hisses when I offer him mice. The only thing I haven’t been able to try is toads. I don’t have access to them but someone did suggest soaking the mice in water from the local pet stores frog tank. When I go back this week to the pet store I’m going to try that. Maybe you can too. Or get toads if you have that option.

That's a good (creative) idea, but if he was eating mice before, you'll only be setting him back as far as reliably taking mice...though I know it's stressful to have a small
snake that's refusing food. There's no one "right" answer: prolonged food refusal affects their health & immune system, & obviously has to stop. Let us know how it goes?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Considering the size of the size of the enclosure, the size of the snake and the fact that it is a male I am not surprise that it is not eating.

Downsize drastically get your temps where they should be and try again.

The only thing I haven’t been able to try is toads. I don’t have access to them but someone did suggest soaking the mice in water from the local pet stores frog tank.

I will advise against it, while I know that many breeder do it, it is wise to keep in mind that toads can carry crypto which is fatal to hognose.

When having issues with hognose feeding or trying to start stubborn babies there are many scent that can be used, vienna sausage, tuna, chicken, sardine, anchovies, get the juice out of any of those out of the can and keep those juices in the freezer (thawing and freezing as needed) , hard boiled egg is also another option.

[Craiga 01453]

I don’t have access to them but someone did suggest soaking the mice in water from the local pet stores frog tank. When I go back this week to the pet store I’m going to try that. Maybe you can too. Or get toads if you have that option.

I'd very cautious with this. Like Deb mentioned, toads can carry crypto. And in all honesty I don't trust the water at many local pet stores. I've been in the aquarium game for many years and have learned to avoid the water from the stores. I stopped buying feeder fish and started using a quarantine tank before introducing new fish into my main tank(s). I just had too many battles with fish getting sick. Once I took the pet store water out of the equation I no longer had any sick fish.

Also, when I got my Hognose boy a few years ago he wasn't eating. He had apparently eaten once in almost a year before coming to me. I followed Deb's advice to a T and have had no problems with Cosmo eating ever since. Follow Deb's advice, she knows her stuff.

[Bogertophis]

I'd very cautious with this. Like Deb mentioned, toads can carry crypto. And in all honesty I don't trust the water at many local pet stores. I've been in the aquarium game for many years and have learned to avoid the water from the stores. I stopped buying feeder fish and started using a quarantine tank before introducing new fish into my main tank(s). I just had too many battles with fish getting sick. Once I took the pet store water out of the equation I no longer had any sick fish.

Also, when I got my Hognose boy a few years ago he wasn't eating. He had apparently eaten once in almost a year before coming to me. I followed Deb's advice to a T and have had no problems with Cosmo eating ever since. Follow Deb's advice, she knows her stuff.

I'm glad that both you & Deb posted on this. I was thinking that feeding toads would carry more risk, but didn't know they carry crypto! And while I'd have thought
that it would be more likely a problem from w/c toads, you've changed my mind about that, for sure. Not my hoggie & not my problem, but if it was, I SURE wouldn't be
feeding toads, not even from pet store.

Hey, what size mice have you been offering, anyway? Is it possible he doesn't like the fur? I have a TX longnose snake that's supposed to be a lizard (& possibly small snake) feeder, but he has been eating pink, & then fuzzy mice for me for many (17) years. Good sized fuzzies are the right size for him, & some
snakes can be very fussy...I know you (OP) offered a live fuzzy, but maybe the "live" put him off too? What size was he eating before? My current longnose snake (as well as those w/c's I've worked with in the past) have all accepted f/t better when it's literally thawed IN water (not in a baggy), presumably because more of the mouse scent/flavor gets washed off...& then I'll pinch-damage the nose w/ my tongs to release a little more scent from the internal parts, & I can
get most longnose snakes to eat mice. (fyi, this is known to be a very challenging endeavor) So if that's something you haven't tried yet...? Just don't keep
trying things too often...remember that stresses snakes too, give a week's rest in-between.