| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Elbee |
Posted - 11/12/2010 : 05:56:13
Hi fellow hog owners. I have a female hognose name Maggie that I have had almost a year. She was supposedly 4 months old when I got her. She is a wonderful snake, but I have been concerned about her growth. She is about a foot long and has doubled in size since we got her but still seems small to me, esp for a female. For a long time she was eating one pinkie every 7 days and I have now moved her up to 2 pinkies every 5-7 days (with the exception of family emergencies etc. where she has gone longer without eating). At her age I know she should be on fuzzies but I honestly dont think she is big enough. A small fuzzy probably, but all that I find in stores are twice as big around as she is. She has never refused a meal, even in shed...until now. it has me worried. I tried to feed her and she would not eat. I split brained the mouse, left it in with her for a while etc. I figured maybe a fluke but I tried to feed her again tonight (2 days after last attempt) and she refused again. I know that it is not uncommon for them to go off food this time of year, but I am worried none the less. I am worried that she is not growing sufficiently anyways and it is not like her to not eat. Please let me know what you think about her size and refusal of food. She is active, alert, but not as jumpy as she usually is when I first pick her up. I am hoping it is the weather. My other king and milk continue to eat fine so far. All are on the same heat, in same room and environment. Thanks guys and God bless. |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| LouiseB |
Posted - 31/01/2011 : 09:42:37
Hognoses do have a stronger defensive response than a lot of other types of snake, but they also tame very quickly. The best thing to do if your snake is hissing is to pick it up (as long as you haven't just fed it) - you'll find that it will stop hissing almost straight away. Over time, it will do it a lot less often. |
| JOEMAC |
Posted - 28/01/2011 : 21:02:16
MY HOGENOSE FEEDS WELL BUT AFTER ABOUT 5 DAYS I WANT TO FEED HIM/HER SHE IS ALWAYS HISSING ALWAYS WANTING 2 STRIKE CAN ANYBODY TELL ME FOR ALL REASONS WHY DO HOGENOSE SNAKES FOR ALL REASONS WANT TO STRIKE I AM A NEW YOUNG PERSON THAT THINKS THESE CREATURES ARE WONDERFUL I ALSO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL MILK SNAKE THATS ABOUT A FOOT LONG AND 2 SCORPIONS |
| LouiseB |
Posted - 25/12/2010 : 23:20:58
She looks absolutely fine - good and chunky. I wish my little male was as hale and hearty as that! |
| crazysnakeman |
Posted - 25/12/2010 : 19:13:08
Im suprised shes only 31 grams, my male is the same age as yours, but double the weight - 63 grams, and yet in those photos, he looks smaller then her! hes 14inches but not as thick as your littlen.. He's my only hoggy, but I do feed him two little mice a week, and occasionally he only wants one of them.. however, I have some other snake species, and from them, I can tell you, snakes just plod along the growth chart at their own rate.. nothing i do seems to affect it! if i feed loads one week, they just dont want any the next! so it evens out pretty well! with the exception of my female boa.. she'l eat for england! shed eat her rats plus my entire freezer if she could!
the trick i used to get mine onto fuzzys, was to give him a pinkie, then a fuzzy after instead of his usual pinkie.. and.. he always took it! however, for ages he wouldnt JUST have the fuzzy, always had to get into eating mode with the pinkie first.. hmm.. anyways, good luck! |
| Elbee |
Posted - 25/12/2010 : 16:14:51
Here are some pictures of Maggie. The first two are of her at 4 months old when I got her.
And here she is one year later at 16 months. I have a small hand, so I took pics of her next to a quarter also.
 |
| LouiseB |
Posted - 21/12/2010 : 15:31:05
If you post a picture whenever you can, that will probably give us a better idea. 31g sounds quite light, but it also depends on how long she is, and you say she isn't skinny, so I would guess that she is probably fine. Does her spine show through, or any of her ribs? |
| Elbee |
Posted - 21/12/2010 : 12:52:53
She is only 31 grams. That is on an empty tummy. I will post a pic when I can. She is healthy, not skinny, still eating well etc. I know they arent fully mature until 2 but she seems small to be. She has atleast trippled her hatchling size or more. |
| LouiseB |
Posted - 21/12/2010 : 10:48:48
It can vary so much that it's probably not possible to give an answer, but how much does she actually weigh?? |
| Elbee |
Posted - 20/12/2010 : 18:54:45
How many grams should a 16 month old female western hognose weigh on an empty stomach? |
| Alex Earl |
Posted - 16/12/2010 : 15:49:38
i was told on another forum that if you wrap a fuzzy in toilet paper and then roll it in your hands, it will dislocate and crush small bones and make it more compact. so you could try that to see if your hognose could eat a fuzzy then |
| Elbee |
Posted - 16/12/2010 : 15:03:35
Well. she ate one pinkie for me last night. I noticed her being on the cool side of her tank, so I turned the thermostat down a little and gave her a couple days and she ate last night. I may move her back up to 2 pinkies in a couple weeks. big relief for me. Thanks and God bless. |
| LouiseB |
Posted - 11/12/2010 : 14:45:48
I don't think she sounds too small - she has been eating up until now, and I think if she is active and alert, there should be no problem.
As you say, it's quite common for them to go off their food at this time of year, so I really wouldn't worry too much about it at the moment. Keep an eye on her weight and make sure she isn't losing too much, but otherwise just keep doing what you're doing.
Try not to offer her food too often, though, as it can put them off eating. Also, it's fine to offer two pinkies instead of one larger fuzzie - some snakes seem to prefer that anyway. |
