Western Hognose Snake Care Guide: Habitat, Diet & Handling Tips (2024)

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Question the belief that size dictates how much space is needed for a reptile.

Our guide reveals an alternative perspective based on the snake’s comfort and well-being.

Learn the minimum enclosure size for a Western Hognose snake, along with detailed insights on:

• Temperature
• Humidity
• Substrate
• Diet
• Handling techniques
• Enrichment ideas

Discover how to provide a safe and thriving environment for your pet hognose snake, ensuring its health and happiness throughout its lifespan.

Hognose Snake Overview

Your hognose snake’s upturned nose aids its fossorial nature, using it to burrow underground to hunt for meals or avoid predators.

Known for their distinct upturned snout, Western hognose snakes exhibit a wide range of color variations from gray to orange or yellow.

They’re skilled predators that use their excellent sense of smell to hunt small mammals, lizards, frogs, and eggs.

However, hognose snakes are mild-mannered pets when bred in captivity.

Their docile nature, manageable size, and unique appearance make them popular among reptile enthusiasts.

Though nonvenomous, they can emit a foul musk and flatten their necks to appear more intimidating.

Providing proper housing and diet will ensure your hognose snake thrives.

Where Do Hognose Snakes Live?

You’ll find western hognose snakes inhabiting the prairies and semi-arid deserts of:

• Southern Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba)
• American Midwest (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas)
• American South (Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri)
• Northern Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas)

Western hognose snakes prefer open grassland habitats with sandy or loamy soils suitable for burrowing. Their native range experiences hot summers and cold winters, so they thrive in temperate climates with plenty of places to hide and thermoregulate.

When constructing a habitat for a western hognose, it’s important to recreate elements of their natural environment.

Are Hognose Snakes Venomous?

Enclosure requirements:

• Tank sizes:
  • Western hognose snakes need a tank that is at least 20 gallons in size.
  • The tank should be long enough for the snake to stretch out its full length and wide enough for it to move around comfortably.
• Cage materials:
  • The tank should be made of a material that is escape-proof and easy to clean.
  • Glass or plastic are good options.
• Access points:
  • The tank should have a secure lid that prevents the snake from escaping.
  • There should also be a door or other access point that allows you to easily reach inside the tank to feed and clean the snake.

Western hognose snake care:

• Snake habitat:
  • The tank should be furnished with a variety of items that provide hiding places, climbing opportunities, and basking spots.
  • These items can include rocks, logs, plants, and a heat lamp.
• Handling tips:
  • Western hognose snakes are generally docile snakes, but they can bite if they feel threatened.
  • When handling a hognose snake, always support its body and avoid making sudden movements.
  • If the snake does bite you, clean the wound with soap and water and seek medical attention if necessary.

Enclosure Size and Type

For your hognose, have a minimum 18L x 18W x 24H front-opening enclosure. This provides adequate space for an adult while allowing easy access.

When designing the habitat, think creatively about enclosure customization to simulate the snake’s natural environment. Optimize space using branches, plants, and hides. Prioritize proper ventilation with screen tops or ventilation holes.

Here is a table with recommended minimum dimensions:

Age	Length	Width	Height
Hatchling	12”	12”	18”
Juvenile	18”	12”	18”
Adult	18”	18”	24”

The enclosure should allow for a temperature gradient, climbing, hiding, and burrowing. With thoughtful planning, you can create an engaging habitat your hognose will thrive in.

Heating and Lighting

You’d need to provide proper heating and lighting for your western hognose snake enclosure.

Use a long, low wattage, ceramic heat emitter or radiant heat panel to provide ambient heat in the tank.

Install a UVB fluorescent tube light to span half the enclosure length. Opt for high UVB output bulbs like Reptisun 10.

Position a halogen basking bulb over one end of the tank to create a hot basking zone of 90-95°F.

Replace bulbs every 6-12 months as they lose efficiency. Use a laser temp gun to routinely check surface temps.

Humidity Levels

How much humidity do western hognose snakes need in their enclosures?

• Maintain 30-50% humidity.
• Use a hygrometer to monitor humidity.
• Aim for lower humidity in warm months and higher humidity in cooler months.
• Use a hand or automated mister a few times per week to raise humidity.
• Concentrate misting on one section to create a humidity hide.
• Provide a water bowl big enough for soaking and change it often.
• Mist the substrate directly and pour water into it to help saturation.
• Avoid humidity spikes over 60% to prevent scale rot.

With proper hydration strategies and microclimate control, you can maintain proper western hognose snake humidity levels.

Substrate

When considering substrate for a western hognose snake, think bioactive.

A bioactive habitat mimics the snake’s natural environment and provides enrichment.

Use a mix of 70% topsoil, 20% washed play sand, and 10% coconut coir or peat moss.

This sandy soil allows natural burrowing behavior.

Add leaf litter and sphagnum moss on top to retain humidity.

Bioactive substrates foster beneficial microfauna to break down waste while the sand provides needed airflow in the lower layers.

With a bioactive setup, consider hardy plants like sansevieria, aloe, and air plants that can withstand an occasionally burrowing snake.

Aim for a 4-6 inch substrate depth to allow for burrowing enrichment.

This bioactive sandy soil provides an ideal balance of humidity retention, drainage, and burrowing opportunities for a happy western hognose snake.

Feeding Hognose Snakes

When it comes to feeding your western hognose snake, it’s important to offer an appropriate diet and feeding schedule.

Hognose snakes are carnivorous and will thrive on a varied diet of rodents, amphibians, eggs, and insects.

Follow the guidelines for prey size and frequency based on the snake’s age and size to ensure proper health and growth.

Diet

After covering substrate, let’s move on to feeding your hognose snake.

You’ll want to feed them an appropriate carnivorous diet based on their age and size.

Offer a varied prey selection including mice, lizards, toads, and eggs.

Use scents to entice picky eaters.

Feed babies more frequently with smaller prey.

Adults only need adult mice weekly.

Provide optimally sized prey for proper nutrition.

Establish a consistent feeding schedule according to age.

Feeding Schedule

Regulating a western hognose snake’s feeding schedule involves:

• Offering pinky mice to young snakes every 3-4 days.
• Offering 2-3 rat fuzzies to adults every 7-14 days.

Balance variety in prey size and type with age-appropriate frequency.

Scenting may encourage picky eaters.

Avoid handling for 24-48 hours after feeding to prevent regurgitation.

Instead, use tongs for safety when presenting appropriately-sized, scented mice or rats.

Following an age-based schedule supports nutritional health in your hognose’s formative and adult years.

Handling Tips

Wash your hands before handling your snake to prevent the spread of bacteria.

When picking up your snake, support its body with one hand while tapping its head gently with a rolled-up paper towel in the other.

This tapping gives the snake a heads up that you’re about to handle it so it doesn’t get startled.

Hygiene

After feeding your hognose snake, you’ll want to wash your hands before handling it. Proper hygiene prevents the spread of bacteria and contagions between you and your snake.

• Clean hands with soap and water before and after handling your snake.
• Use paper towels to pick up waste and shed skin.
• Disinfect the enclosure regularly with reptile-safe products.
• Avoid contact after handling prey items.
• Schedule frequent cage cleanings to remove bacteria.

Support Body

When handling your western hognose snake, support its body with both hands: one behind the head and one under the belly.

This control prevents the snake from falling or thrashing, ensuring a safe and stress-free experience for both you and your pet.

Tap Head

Always tap the snake’s head with a paper towel roll before picking it up.

This gentle tap is a form of communication, a tactile stimulation that signals your presence and intent to handle them.

It allows the snake to process the interaction and respond accordingly, reducing stress and preventing sudden movements.

Enclosure Enrichment

You’ll want to enrich your snake’s enclosure with its natural habitat in mind.

Plants

Scatter live plants throughout your hognose snake’s enclosure often for them to hide and explore.

Select drought-resistant foliage that thrives in arid habitats, mimicking their natural surroundings.

Choose plants that can tolerate the soil composition and humidity levels you’ve created for your snake.

Terrarium gardening with succulents, cacti, and grasses adds beauty, enrichment, and a sense of security.

Live plants help maintain humidity levels and provide a naturalistic habitat for your western hognose snake.

Hides

To ensure your hognose snake feels secure, add hides like hollow logs and caves to its enclosure.

These provide shelter dynamics key to its fossorial nature, allowing it to burrow and regulate temperature.

Hides also offer a safe space for defensive behaviors, reducing stress and encouraging natural behaviors.

Choose hides that are the right size for your snake, allowing it to fully conceal its body, and place them throughout the enclosure to create a varied habitat.

Branches & Cork

Incorporate branches and cork flats into your western hognose snake’s enclosure for an arboreal playground.

These climbing enhancements provide natural hideaways and exercise opportunities, stimulating their natural instincts and promoting overall well-being.

Longevity

Continuing with enclosure enrichment, you’ll be happy to know that with proper care, Western Hognose Snakes can live up to 20 years in captivity.

This remarkable longevity is a testament to their resilience and adaptability.

Health Indicators:

• A healthy Western Hognose Snake will have bright eyes, smooth scales, and an active appetite.
• Regular veterinary checkups are crucial for detecting and addressing any health issues early on.

  Environmental Impact:

• Creating a naturalistic enclosure that mimics their natural habitat is essential for their well-being.
• This includes providing ample space, proper lighting, and a varied diet.

  Genetic Diversity:

• Maintaining genetic diversity within captive populations is vital for the long-term survival of the species.
• Responsible breeders prioritize selective breeding to preserve the genetic integrity of these snakes.

  Behavioral Adaptations:

• Western Hognose Snakes exhibit fascinating behavioral adaptations, such as playing dead and emitting foul odors to deter predators.
• Understanding and respecting these behaviors is key to providing them with a stress-free environment.

By considering these longevity considerations, you can ensure that your Western Hognose Snake thrives in captivity, providing you with years of companionship and enjoyment.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)