I bought a male and female hognose snake. The male is an 07 hatchling and the female born 08. The female has eaten for me 2 weeks in a row but my male refuses to eat a f/t pinkie or a hopper. I also tried a live pinkie. He is getting skinny it is almost 3 weeks without eating. The underside of his belly has turned a light grayish color it is not black anymore, is he going to shed or is he sick? Any ideas?
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my hognose won't eat
hognose0244
Jun 01, 2009 07:46 PM
Replies (8)
charleshanklin
Jun 01, 2009 08:00 PM
I would say it sounds like he is going into shed. Watch his eyes as well and stick him in his water bowl. Hogs aren't always the smartest of snakes and sometimes need a assitance LOL.
How do you have them set up?
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If con is the opposite of pro, does that mean congress is the opposite of progress??
hognose0244
Jun 01, 2009 09:06 PM
He is in a 20 gal tank with aspen bedding. He has an under the tank heater with a hide on both sides. He also had a rock and a humid hide. The water bowl is on the cool side.
How long will the shedding process take? He is getting pretty thin.
kingsnake1
Jun 02, 2009 09:58 AM
He should come out of the opaque stage after a few days and shed 1-2 days later. As soon as he sheds, be sure to offer food. He should be ready. I would feed him in a deli cup or other small container also.
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Greg Jackson
BRhaco
Jun 02, 2009 10:42 AM
An '07 hog male may well be off feed for sexual reasons-many (not all)of my hog males will go as long as 4 or 5 months without feeding-maybe take a meal or two in March right out of brumation, then refuse to eat through the whole breeding season, sometimes until mid-late July! This does not seem to do them any harm, though they may be a bit thin by July.
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Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG
The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....
domingos
Jun 02, 2009 05:30 PM
Males tend to be picky eaters. My '08 Western Hognose stopped feeding for the winter and then would take a pinky sporadically. Now that he's gotten going, he is eating like a true pig. Patience is key.
snakeface79
Jun 02, 2009 08:22 PM
try senting it might help, i have a male with a bad feeding response , i use a piece of raw salmon and rub the pinkie then he tears them right up.
hognose0244
Jun 02, 2009 08:43 PM
Thanks for the advice. He hasn't come out of the humid hide in a while so hopefully he will shed soon.
Gerlow
Jun 03, 2009 02:05 AM
No need to do anything, dont put him in the waterbowl if he has a humid hide, just peace and quite, and he will do just fine.
Give him a few days rest after sheding, and then try feeding him. 
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Best regards
Mark
http://www.heterodon.dk/
