Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I acquired a male Speckled Madagascan Hognose over the summer. I've had him a couple months now. A friend of mine bought him for me from a breeder at a show who told my friend the snake had been eating F/T mice. Now, the snake has very good body weight, doesn't seem to be loosing it but also is not eating. I've tried all the usual tricks to get him to be interested in something but so far he just moves the prey item around and buries it in his substrate. He's taken on an attitude since I got him.. He was very laid back when I first got him. I think its because he's finally in better conditions, his heat and humidity are exactly where they should be. (Heat Gradient is 75 cooler end, 87 hotter end with a ambient humidity of about 65%) He's still in quarentine right now since he won't eat and I'm a bit overly cautious after loosing $500 worth of snakes from some unknown cause (Though they were necropsied, they didn't find anything conclusive) earlier this spring.. (Mostly corns and one Peach Pueblan) I spent 2 years looking for any of the Madagascan Hognoses and I'm just wondering if any of you work with this particular subspecies and if you have any tips for reluctant feeders.
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Mel Goodrich
RavenCrest Reptiles: Sale and Rescue
drune@charter.net

~Updated animal list coming soon~

Mine is very similar. Two-year-old male, just acquired in September, raised on live but tested on f/t. He also does not readily take as many f/t mice as he should, althugh he displays no other signs of stress. if I jut put them in there, he usually just pokes at them forever, wondering why they aren't wiggling, and then eventually loses interest umless he's absolutely starved.
So what I do is warm them up, blow-dry them so they've got that smell.. it's even okay if they open up a little bit while the hot air is blasting them, he seems to prefer that, actually, and then put the food in the bottom of a deep deli cup and stuff him in on top and close it. he never wants to go in. he squirms and tricks me every way that he can, because he's much rather explore my ear or whatever, but once he's in, I just leave him alone and the mice are always gone 15 minutes later.
Usually, snakes that fight about being put into the cup are not good nadidates for feeding in it, but Sigmund seems to be the exception. All I know is: if I do it that way, he eats great.
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0.1 1987 Coastal Carpet (Boots)
0.1 2006 Western Hognose (Bebe)
0.1 age unknown Cane Toad (Hengo)
0.1 2005 White-Banded Sheen Skink (Minerva)
1.0 2006 Northern Diamondback (Queequeg)
1.0 2006 Madagascan Speckled (Sigmund)
1.0 2008 Bull (Winkle)