| Western Hognose snakes are a wonderful, small | | | | is then safe to place inside your enclosure. |
| species of snake with lots of character. | | | | As a general rule, if you can put pressure on |
| They have become more and more popular over | | | | an item to knock it down, an adult Western |
| the years and are now a commonly available | | | | Hognose snake is also capable of doing this. |
| species in the pet trade. In the wild they | | | | When positioning rocks or heavy objects, make |
| are known to feed on toads, lizard, snakes, | | | | sure they are completely secure. If it is |
| eggs and even insects. In captivity however, | | | | still uneasy, screw them or use superglue to |
| they will regularly take to rodents. There | | | | fix them securely. If it is not possible, |
| are 3 subspecies of Western Hognose; the | | | | the rule is simple: Do not place the item in |
| Plains Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus | | | | the vivarium! |
| nasicus), the Dusty Hognose Snake (Heterodon | | | | |
| nasicus gloydi) and Mexican Hognose Snake | | | | If you decide to go for a large enclosure, |
| (Heterodon nasicus kennerlyi). The Plains | | | | you must provide plenty of cover and hiding |
| Hognose snake is the most commonly seen in | | | | areas. A hiding place can be anything from |
| captivity, the care for all three species is | | | | an ice cream tub with a hole cut out to a |
| virtually identical. Males grow to around | | | | naturalistic piece of cork bark. There are |
| 18", females up to 30". This is an excellent | | | | many brands of fake plants and décor you |
| species of snake to keep in captivity, its | | | | can use which is both safe for the animal and |
| small size, good nature and feeding response | | | | pleasing to the eye. Cork bark is available |
| makes it a good beginners snake. | | | | from almost any reptile pet shop in the UK, |
| | | | and can be ordered in if they do not have it |
| Housing | | | | in stock. This is excellent cover for any |
| | | | reptile and is 100% natural. One thing you |
| When keeping any snake as a pet, you | | | | must consider when thinking about the size of |
| generally want to be able to view the snake | | | | the vivarium, is the bigger you go, the more |
| from the outside of its enclosure, in the | | | | hiding areas you must provide. I recommend |
| most natural surroundings you can offer. | | | | at least one hiding place per foot in length |
| This will be more aesthetically pleasing and | | | | of the enclosure. |
| also aid in the general condition of the | | | | |
| snake. If the snake likes its surroundings, | | | | NOTE: Never use sticky tape in an enclosure; |
| it will have a better feeding response and | | | | this is an accident waiting to happen. |
| generally grow quicker. A larger vivarium | | | | Believe me; removing sticky tape from any |
| also offers more interest to the snake's | | | | snake is no easy task! |
| life, and by adding branches and other | | | | |
| natural products you will enhance the quality | | | | Heating |
| of life the snake has, and stop it from | | | | |
| becoming lethargic and overweight. Also, | | | | Western Hognose snakes require a thermal |
| being stronger it should have more of a | | | | gradient, meaning they must be allowed to |
| resistance to any viral infections or any | | | | move around the enclosure to find their |
| other problems that it may encounter later in | | | | required temperature. The hot end of the |
| life. | | | | enclosure should be 84-88ºF while the cool |
| | | | end should be approximately 74-76ºF. |
| For an adult Western Hognose snake, a | | | | During the night, the temperature should drop |
| vivarium 60cm Length x 45cm Width x 45cm | | | | to a more constant overall temperature of |
| Height is ample. Contrary to popular belief, | | | | 72-74º. |
| and propaganda spread by various campaigners, | | | | |
| you can actually have too large of an | | | | In my opinion, the ideal way of heating a |
| enclosure for many snakes. The reason for | | | | Western Hognose enclosure is to use a power |
| this, is that snakes are very prone to | | | | plate. This is a small thin square plate, |
| stress, and being in an excessively large | | | | about 25mm thick which is screwed into the |
| enclosure can scare them. Imagine in the | | | | top of the vivarium. It does not need to be |
| wild they are constantly hiding from | | | | protected, as there is no way a snake can |
| predators, then, when they feel it's safe in | | | | grip onto it. It is almost invisible to the |
| the dark of night, they will venture out to | | | | eye as it simply sits on the ceiling of the |
| hunt for food. Once they find their food, | | | | vivarium. The only brand available in the UK |
| they will return to the safety of their | | | | is HabiStat Reptile Radiator; it is 75 Watts |
| secure hiding place until the next time | | | | and is sufficient for any vivarium up to 4ft |
| around. Many species will not even hunt for | | | | long and possibly larger. It produces no |
| food; rather, they will sit and wait for | | | | light and therefore in a vivarium you will |
| their prey to come along. They may also | | | | need a form of lighting as well. A power |
| leave their den for sloughing their skin or | | | | plate should be used in conjunction with a |
| finding a mate at certain times of the year. | | | | HabiStat Pulse Proportional Thermostat, which |
| Many individual snakes feel very comfortable | | | | will stop the power reaching the power plate |
| in captivity, although this generally comes | | | | as soon as the temperature goes above the |
| with age and lots of handling. Snakes like | | | | setting, and turn back on as soon as it is |
| these will often thrive in a larger than | | | | too cool. This is one of the most accurate |
| usual enclosure. | | | | thermostats on the market today. |
| | | | |
| Snake enclosures can be made from a number of | | | | Ceramic heaters, spot bulbs and heat mats are |
| materials. Most commonly used is a melamine | | | | also ways of heating a vivarium. These all |
| coated wood which covers all sides except the | | | | have their advantages and disadvantages, but |
| front, which has glass sliding doors. | | | | in my opinion, none quite weigh out to be as |
| Aquariums can also be used, although a | | | | good as a power plate. |
| specialist lid should be bought or made | | | | |
| rather than the original aquarium lid. It is | | | | Lighting |
| essential when thinking about what type of | | | | |
| enclosure you use, you think about these 6 | | | | Western Hognose snakes are diurnal, meaning |
| 'SSSHHH' factors: | | | | they venture out in the day time. This is |
| | | | when their prey is awake. They will often |
| 1) Safety - Can the snake or owner injure | | | | bask in the sun, so lighting should be |
| itself from the enclosure or any appliances | | | | offered. |
| held within? | | | | |
| | | | Having artificial light in a vivarium is |
| 2) Secure - Can the snake escape through any | | | | aesthetically pleasing to the owner, and is a |
| small hole or cavity? | | | | good addition to a snake's enclosure. They |
| | | | will use this as a photo-period, and their |
| 3) Size - Will the enclosure be appropriately | | | | regular time clock will generally adjust to |
| sized? | | | | the settings on which you have your light set |
| | | | to. |
| 4) Heating - Is the enclosure able to | | | | |
| regulate the temperature properly? | | | | They do not require any form of special |
| | | | lighting, such as a D3 Ultra-Violet light |
| 5) Humidity - Will the enclosure last well in | | | | commonly used for lizards. An Arcadia |
| humid conditions? Is there enough | | | | Natural Sunlight Fluorescent Lamp is a good |
| ventilation for the moisture to escape? | | | | form of lighting. This comes in lengths of |
| | | | 12" up to 48" and I suggest you use the |
| 6) Hygienic - Will the enclosure build up a | | | | largest size able to fit inside your |
| lot of bacteria in small cavities? Is it easy | | | | vivarium. |
| to clean? | | | | |
| | | | Humidity |
| By following the steps above, you can have a | | | | |
| suitable enclosure made from a variety of | | | | Western Hognose Snakes are generally not |
| materials. | | | | exposed to a high humidity range in the wild, |
| | | | and in captivity you should not worry about |
| Décor | | | | controlling this. A fairly dry environment |
| | | | should be provided, although raising the |
| Décor in your tank serves two purposes. | | | | humidity when the snake is coming up to a |
| First being extra cover for your snake and | | | | slough may aid in shedding its skin properly. |
| second, allowing for a more natural and | | | | |
| pleasing appearance. When choosing décor, | | | | Feeding |
| think about the safety of the snake. Make | | | | |
| sure that whatever you decide to use, it is | | | | Hatchlings should be offered pinky mice, and |
| securely fixed and that no rocks, wood or | | | | as they grow the mice should become larger. |
| anything heavy can fall and possibly injure, | | | | An adult Western Hognose snake should be fed |
| or even kill the snake. You must also make | | | | on large size mice or small weaner rats. |
| sure that everything used is parasite free. | | | | Hatchlings should be fed on a regular basis, |
| If anything has been picked up from outside, | | | | every 4-5 days is ideal. Their metabolic |
| or has originally come from outside, such as | | | | rate is very high and as they are growing, |
| cork bark, you should either boil it, or | | | | they need a lot more food to keep them going. |
| place the item in the oven at 200 degrees | | | | Adult Western Hognose snakes need feeding |
| Fahrenheit for approximately 30 minutes. | | | | once every 2 weeks on 2 large mice, perhaps |
| Freezing works for some parasites, however | | | | one for males. The only exception when they |
| others have been known to survive months in | | | | should be fed more is bringing them out of |
| freezing conditions. Some parasites found in | | | | hibernation, getting them into condition for |
| English conditions last winters in minus | | | | breeding and then, fattening up females for |
| temperatures, so it is not entirely | | | | egg production. An egg-laying female should |
| effective. | | | | be fed more often than normal, once a week on |
| | | | 2 large mice. |
| Once all your décor is parasite free, it | | | | |