# Set up for Hognose



## matty0603 (Apr 28, 2009)

Hi

Would this set up be alright for a western hognose?

* Snake 3ft / 36'' Vivarium Complete Reptile Set * on eBay, also, Reptiles, Pet Supplies, Home Garden (end time 08-May-09 21:16:42 BST)


Thanks


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## Hardwicki (Jun 18, 2007)

How big is the hoggie?: victory:


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## rantasam (Nov 28, 2006)

I think it's a bad choice personally for a number of reasons:

- Presuming you are getting a young hoggy, a 3 foot viv would be MASSIVE. You would literally never find him!

- A Spot lamp is unnecessary for hognoses

- It is good that they are offering a thermostat as many 'starter' kits don't, but I haven't heard of this brand before or heard of anyone using it. It may be that they work accurately and reliably, but I would personally stick to either Habistat or Microclimate brands as they have been proven time and time again to work well.

- Heat mats and wooden vivs are a bad idea. If you put the heatmat outside the viv you may struggle to get sufficient heat to transfer into the viv. If you put the heat mat into the viv you risk contact burns and very minor chances of electricution if liquids get spilled. Also, as hognoses are keen to burrow, you would have problems regulating the temperature as it would be far hotter under the substrate than it would be at the surface Heat mats are also flawed as they do not heat the air in the viv - only the substrate directly above them. This means you may have problems maintaining ambient air temperature, and find that the cool end is far too cold (depending on the room temperature the viv is kept in).

- The hide included is too big (again I'm assuming you are not getting an adult snake). Hides should be just big enough so that the snake can touch the roof and sides when inside. Any bigger than this and they can feel just as exposed and vulnerable as they would outside the hide. Hides should be chosen to fit individual snakes and changed as the snake grows.

- You are paying for a book on corn snakes, which have different care to hognoses - waste of money.

- A medium water bowl may be too big - again depending on what age of snake you are getting. Water bowls should be chosen to fit individual snakes.

- You are shelling out for a calcium supliment which you won't ever need to use.

If you are getting a young hoggy, then be aware that they are tiny - I can't find a decent picture of a young one, but here is one which has grown-on a little:










One option is to consider a RUB setup for a young hognose.. http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/newbie-advice/112026-how-house-your-first-snake.html RUB setups still use heat mats and so are somewhat of a compromise, but are far more suited to smaller snakes. As the heatmat can be positioned outside of the RUB and still transfer heat effectively, they are the best method for hoggies until they have grown further. Some people keep these snakes in RUBS their whole lives without any problems.

If you choose to use a wooden viv for your young snake (or when you upgrade once your higgy has grown) they I would choose to heat it using a ceramic bulb. Solaris-Heat do some great deals on eBay.. they currently have bulb, ceramic holder, heat proof cable and an 'optional' bulb guard which is _essential_ to stop burns for well under £20 quid:

Complete ceramic bulb heater kit for reptiles, vivarium on eBay, also, Reptiles, Pet Supplies, Home Garden (end time 10-May-09 20:07:49 BST)

A good and cheap pulse proportional thermostat (which you should consider buying even if you are using a heat mat/RUB setup for the time being, to save money upgrading later, can be bought from Triple 8 Reptiles - Microclimate 600W B2 Pulse Thermostat B2 PULSE for £30 quid.

A range of wooden vivs, starting at 18 inches (which would be far more suitable for a smaller hoggy if you did decide to use a wooden viv) are available from the same website also.

Hope that's been of some help.


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## Cheeky-x (Feb 2, 2009)

Nice viv!! x


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## matty0603 (Apr 28, 2009)

Nice 1 for the help!


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