Hognose Snake

[Ajay]

My friend has had one of these for a couple of months, he's just started eating, he's perfectly fine being handled etc but at the moment he's on newspaper and she wants to change the substrate.

She was going to put him on calci sand but has now been told by someone else he'd be better off on bark.. So she's confused.

The calci sand was recommended as he's a burrowing snake (correct me if I'm wrong, I know less than nothing about snakes, just going on what she's said/been told) and this wouldn't cause compaction in the gut if he managed to eat any of it (unlikely on pinkies but nm). Then she was told "as he eats frogs in the wild he'd be better on bark" I do see an odd logic in there but I'd like to know what anyone else would recommend..

[wildlifewarrior]

i have 5 of these snakes. ( i take it your friends hoggie is a western)

all of mine are kept of aspen bedding. i have 5-9 inches to burrow through. in the wild these don't actually burrow through the sand that they live in, the burrow through the corse rough grasses around them. cali-sand is actually worse than normal sand. you can use that if you wish but it is very heavy on the snake as they burrow and it can cause problems and problems when they poo as sand gets stuck to there outter bowl.

i don't see how frogs and bark works . they do feed on frogs in the wild but in captivity they are defrost feeders. the substrate has no bearing over what they feed on in the wild. i use aspen and have done for the last 5 years and had no problem

[Ajay]

i don't see how frogs and bark works

- the bark holds humidity and frogs usually require it

these don't actually burrow through the sand that they live in, the burrow through the corse rough grasses around them

Do you mean they hide in the grass or burrow through it and into the soil beneath?

Thanks for that, I'll pass it on.

[wildlifewarrior]

they burrow through the actual grass......in the parts of the u.s that there from the grass ani't your typical green garden grass.


the places they actually live and sleep in are normally disused mammal burrows. it's actually toads that they feed on , which require less humidity. but as they are from desert areas the humidity does not go much higher than about 40%. whereas for bark and such would would need it much higher if it were to hold moister.

[Ajay]

Cool, good to know. Any more info you can throw our way gratefully received! Don't suppose you write caresheets on these guys too? lol

Will print this lot off for her to read.

[wildlifewarrior]

no worries, i don't actually have one written on these but i can do if you want.

[Lloyd]

Eco earth is also got for hoggies