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bradmelissa
Snake Mite
USA
11 Posts |
 Posted - 22/11/2010 : 03:31:40
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Hi my husband brought home a small hognose snake the other day that he found while he was visiting his grand parents and wanted to keep him, I am just wanting to make sure that we are doing everything that we should be doing for this little snake. Let me start off by saying that i have never owned a snake before so i am new to this. We bought it a 10 gallon tank and put bedding in it and a heat pad on the bottom of the tank.
First Question: The heat pad has no way to control the temp...it is a heat pad from the local pet store and it is made for snakes, should it be ok? I just don't want it to get too hot and kill him.
Second Question: The lady at the local pet store said that they shouldn't need any other lights is that right or do they need a light on top of their cage? as of right now he only has a heat pad on the bottom nothing else.
Third question: She sent me home with like 40 crickets and said to feed him that... but everything that i am reading says mice, so what do i feed the little guy?
Please tell me if there is anything else that i am supposed to be doing to properly take care of this little guy. He does have a couple sticks in his cage too, but nothing to hide under... not too sure if they need stuff to hide under or not.
Thanks for any and all help :) |
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bradmelissa
Snake Mite
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - 22/11/2010 : 03:49:48
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| oh and is there a way to tell how old he is? He is about 7 inches long. |
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lee2308
Snake Mite
Afghanistan
17 Posts |
Posted - 22/11/2010 : 13:01:14
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[quote]Originally posted by bradmelissa
Hi my husband brought home a small hognose snake the other day that he found while he was visiting his grand parents and wanted to keep him, I am just wanting to make sure that we are doing everything that we should be doing for this little snake. Let me start off by saying that i have never owned a snake before so i am new to this. We bought it a 10 gallon tank and put bedding in it and a heat pad on the bottom of the tank.
First Question: The heat pad has no way to control the temp...it is a heat pad from the local pet store and it is made for snakes, should it be ok? I just don't want it to get too hot and kill him.
you will need to by a thermostat for the mat or risk burning the hoggie
Second Question: The lady at the local pet store said that they shouldn't need any other lights is that right or do they need a light on top of their cage? as of right now he only has a heat pad on the bottom nothing else.
hoggie do not require any additional lighting
Third question: She sent me home with like 40 crickets and said to feed him that... but everything that i am reading says mice, so what do i feed the little guy?
take them back and go to a shop that knows what their talking about,you should be feeding mice
Please tell me if there is anything else that i am supposed to be doing to properly take care of this little guy. He does have a couple sticks in his cage too, but nothing to hide under... not too sure if they need stuff to hide under or not.
yes it will need 2 hides at either end of the tank and only heat 1 third of the tank
Thanks for any and all help :)
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Edited by - lee2308 on 22/11/2010 13:06:18 |
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lee2308
Snake Mite
Afghanistan
17 Posts |
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bradmelissa
Snake Mite
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - 22/11/2010 : 13:27:50
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| Thanks :) I am off to the pet store this morning. |
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LouiseB
Yearling Hoggie
United Kingdom
624 Posts |
Posted - 22/11/2010 : 14:49:59
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| You did the right thing to come on here and ask, as you got some really bad advice from the pet shop! They were right about the lighting, but spectacularly wrong about the feeding. But they're hardy little snakes and I'm sure yours will be fine once you've sorted out the heating/mice for him. |
1.0.0. Western hognose (Baldrick)
0.1.0. Amel bloodred corn snake (Cornflake)
R.I.P. Bob (Western hognose) |
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bradmelissa
Snake Mite
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2010 : 20:12:12
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Hey guys I went out and bought some frozen pinkies and fuzzies and he is not eating either.... Should i try a live mouse? I am just wondering if because my husband caught him that he will only eat live mice since that is what he is used to.
Any help or advice is appreciated :)
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LouiseB
Yearling Hoggie
United Kingdom
624 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2010 : 16:44:32
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If he's wild-caught, it could be difficult to wean him onto dead mice. Just to clarify, you are defrosting the frozen food before offering it to him? Try warming them up in a cup of hot water so that they're at body temperature, as most snakes won't eat anything that's too cold.
I take it you live in the States? Just asking because live feeding has a bit of a dodgy legal status in the UK, but it could be an option if all else fails... |
1.0.0. Western hognose (Baldrick)
0.1.0. Amel bloodred corn snake (Cornflake)
R.I.P. Bob (Western hognose) |
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bradmelissa
Snake Mite
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2010 : 20:35:48
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| Yes i have been putting them in a cup of warm water for 10 min before feeding them. Yes i live in the U.S... I was recently told to try frogs...any truth to that? |
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bradmelissa
Snake Mite
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2010 : 23:11:54
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one more question.... How can i tell if i have a male or female snake?
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LouiseB
Yearling Hoggie
United Kingdom
624 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2010 : 14:49:07
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You can try scenting a mouse with a dead frog - that way you can wean them onto rodents. The problem with feeding a hoggy a frog is that they might not want to eat anything else once they've tasted amphibian!
The best way to sex a snake is to get a professional (either a vet or a specialist reptile shop) to probe them. You can tell a male hoggy from a female by the size of their tail, but it can be difficult if you don't have one of each to compare them to each other. |
1.0.0. Western hognose (Baldrick)
0.1.0. Amel bloodred corn snake (Cornflake)
R.I.P. Bob (Western hognose) |
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bradmelissa
Snake Mite
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 03:07:40
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| Hi just an update... we got the snake to eat a toad that we caught outside but now he is acting like he is going to throw it up. What is going on? Is this normal? |
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bradmelissa
Snake Mite
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 05:08:51
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Update: Jake the snake died at 11:00 central time. No clue what happened but he is gone.
:( |
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Elbee
Snake Mite
20 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 05:21:12
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| So sorry :( |
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bradmelissa
Snake Mite
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 05:31:44
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| Sad Sad day at our home. |
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LouiseB
Yearling Hoggie
United Kingdom
624 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2011 : 13:32:26
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| That's really sad, I'm very sorry to hear that. Did this follow on from him looking unwell after you'd fed him? |
1.0.0. Western hognose (Baldrick)
0.1.0. Amel bloodred corn snake (Cornflake)
R.I.P. Bob (Western hognose) |
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First time with hognose
