How to Set Up A Starter Hognose Enclosure

[@shawnee9949]

Hey Jordin! I met you today at the Expo in Fort Worth. Thank you so much for making this video! I’m soooooo excited to get a snake from y’all! You guys were so nice and helpful in “making” me want a baby Hognose. My daughters and I are so excited to get a baby from y’all. You truly made our entire day.

[@SnakefulGrace]

Hey, Shawnee! I am so excited for you guys too! Thank you so much for stopping by. It really does warm my heart to know these videos are helping out!

[@debbiewatkins6945]

Ah love her precious baby hognose ! I watch all your awesome videos ! God bless & peace out ✌️💐💕🐍🇺🇸🇩🇪🌺🍀

[@SnakefulGrace]

Awww, thank you! She really is a precious baby! She's very special to us

[@MissyH-qh3cq]

No heat?

[@ChantalsCritters]

Great information

[@SnakefulGrace]

Thank you!

[@Saijai143]

Will a baby be able to escape from the hole ive made in the tub? I melted the holes with a stainless steel straw.

[@SnakefulGrace]

It depends on the size of the hole and the size of the baby. I wouldn't trust a garter snake baby with most ventilation holes, for example.

[@idkanymore303]

How many times a day can you hold them because I don't wanna stress mine out

[@SnakefulGrace]

General rule of thumb is don't handle them the day before feeding and 48 hours after feeding. Otherwise, as long as they are eating, you can keep handling. It is good to take it slow, starting with short 5 minute sessions once a day and gradually increasing the sessions by 5 minutes each week. Another solution is to have more than one snake so you can alternate who you handle.

[@Nutmeg142]

Did you just drill holes into the side of the containers or did you buy special containers?

[@Emenemohpy]

Did you drill holes in the bin or is this a special bin?

[@SnakefulGrace]

We use a soldering iron or a wood burning tool to melt holes into the sides. You can usually get them pretty cheap on amazon :)

[@Emenemohpy]

Thanks! Also, where do you find the water dish? Annnnd also we have a well (like our house water is well water) is that okay? We haven't gotten our hoggie yet but we are trying to get everything as ready as possible!

[@claravanbellinghen9496]

Hi Jordin! how do you set up heat for a starter inclosure? I'm scared of melting the plastic of the tub

[@SnakefulGrace]

Hey, Clara! As long as the heating mat doesn't reach temperatures over 150F, it shouldn't melt the plastic. Most plastic only melts at 200F. It should never be hot enough to melt plastic if the temperatures are safe for the hoggie. You don't want the hot side over 95F in general, so a heat mat on a thermostat should work fine without any problems. Hope that helped!

[@doomguy-v3f]

Is there a specific heat mat you recommend? Does the nice noodle need specific humidity requirements, and how would I give them that?is UVB recommended, or not required? I am so sorry for bothering you with this many questions. This is going to be my first snake, and I am a mix of excitement and nervousness.

[@SnakefulGrace]

It depends on the overall temperature of your house. If your house is really cold, I would recommend a dedicated reptile heat mat (no particular brand, but we do have a spreadsheet of products we use on our facebook page) with a thermostat, since it will be able to warm up the hot side enough. If your house isn't too cold (I would say averaging around 70-75F), you can use a seedling heat mat, that doesn't overheat but will provide gentle warmth for the hot side. It's really exciting to get your first snake! Hognoses were my first snake. The hardest thing is to remember to let them get used to their new home and start eating before handling. In regards to UVB, I personally offer it once they are over a year old and I move them into a bioactive setup. Plenty of people raise them without UVB and they don't seem to suffer any negative consequences. I offer it because in the chance it does have beneficial effects for them, I would rather they have it. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help!

[@gertschman1]

What about a heat lamp or a light them

[@SnakefulGrace]

The starting enclosures are a bit too small for a light to be able to heat a very small part of the tub. You can use a weak lamp or light to bump up the ambient to around 75F-80F if the room causes the cold side in the enclosure to be below 75F even after using a heat mat.

[@LordoftheThings327]

I'm thinking about a hognose as a first ever snake so these informative but simple videos are a godsend! Out of curiosity since I'm tryna find all the info I can before taking the plunge, even if you might cover this in one of those future vids, is there a reason you mention a glass enclosure for their permanent adult home vs say a pvc, or is it just preference?

[@MrTrickTalks]

Glass enclosures with screen lids are preferred for hognoses because they don’t hold as much humidity, and these snakes need less than many other common pet snakes. But plenty of people do keep hognoses in pvc enclosures with no problems.

[@SnakefulGrace]

PVC isn't a problem, just not a common enclosure that beginners are aware of. I personally love the look of glass enclosures and they really allow for enrichment opportunities. As long as the humidity is managed in a PVC enclosure, it works as well. The main thing I was trying to say is that glass enclosures make better permanent homes vs starter setups.

[@LordoftheThings327]

@@MrTrickTalks I was wondering if humidity management would play a roll, ty for the clarification!

[@LordoftheThings327]

@@SnakefulGrace I always liked the look of glass enclosures as well, I'm glad to hear they're just as good for the snake to live in as they are to look at! and yee I get the better perma homes vs starter part~ I'm already planning on starting any snake I get in a tub so I can monitor it and grow it up a lil if need before it goes into its forever enclosure- funnily enough I have bins already set up with air holes that I use to raise up monarch butterflies that are the perfect size for a young snake

[@SnakefulGrace]

@@LordoftheThings327 I'm actually a huge fan of Zen Habitat enclosures and plan on eventually upgrading all the females into 2x2 enclosures and potentially splitting a 2x2 into two different sections for males so each would have a 2x1x2. I love giving them bioactive enclosures and the glass tanks allow me to make custom backdrops with branches and a bunch of enrichment! I would always recommend starting a new snake in a tub just to monitor it as it grows before upgrading it into a better home. :) Sounds like you are on track!

[@nicolettetownsend4989]

Hey what tubs do you recomendar using. Like the brand or where you got them

[@SnakefulGrace]

Heya! These are 2.7qt Sterilite brand latch tubs that I find at WalMart :)

[@nathanmundell]

So for the tub setup, would you be providing heat,lights, or anything to check humidity/temps

[@SnakefulGrace]

Yup! I recommend heat mats for the tubs (with a thermostat) to get the heat gradient. You can also put the thermometer/hygrometer probes inside or use a temp gun to verify the Temps. We're gonna be making another video talking about Temps and humidity :)

[@nathanmundell]

@@SnakefulGrace okay awesome! I just see so many tub setups that don't include any of that, which can confuse beginners.

[@SnakefulGrace]

Yup! We're going to be covering everything on hognose care, but want to keep the videos simple and separate so people can watch what they need. :)

[@bearsbeetsbsg8]

Her name's Toph because it sounds like tough and that's just what she was to start😆

[@SnakefulGrace]

She is a big, strong girl now! She's been doing great with her assist feedings