Western Hognose Care
Basic Western Hognose Care Facts
- Western hognose snakes are a relatively small species, adult males only get to be about 15-20 inches while females can grow to just under 3 feet. Juveniles can be kept in a 5-10 gallon tank but once they are fully grown you can keep them in a 20 gallon.
- Keep the cool side of the tank around 80 and the hot spot 90. Using a under tank heater(like heat tape or a heat mat) or overhead ceramic heat bulb is your best option. They do not require any UVB light.
- Hognose snakes like to burrow so provide a substrate like aspen bedding, wood chips, or shredded newspaper. A few hides in the cage is good as well to offer privacy and make your hognose feel secure. You can use many different hide options like coconut shells, any store bought artificial hides, ceramic hides, and log hides. There are a lot of options just make sure they are safe for your snake and easy to clean or replace if you have to.
- Always provide fresh clean drinking water. Hognose snakes do well in very dry conditions so their is no need for high humidity. If you notice any shedding problems like stuck shed or it's not coming off in one piece, then a light misting before they shed will help allow your snake to shed in one piece.
- Feed your hog nose mice or rats every 5-7 days you want to feed a prey item no bigger then the largest with of your snakes body. Smaller meals more frequently is usually healthier for the animals and promotes better growth.