Hognose Temperature, Lighting & Humidity Requirements

southern hognose snake basking

Lighting

If you take a close look at a North American hognose snake, you will notice that it has round pupils rather than the typical slitted pupils most people expect from snakes. No, this doesn’t mean that they are nonvenomous. Round pupils actually indicate that hognose snakes are diurnal, meaning that they are awake during the day.

Because hognose snakes are diurnal, providing a source of light in the enclosure during the day is good for their mental health. For best results, use a timer to automatically turn them on and off. Standard practice is to create a day/night cycle of 12 hours on, 12 off.

If you would like to stimulate more natural behaviors, however, you can program your timer to mimic seasonal daylight as occurs in North America:

  • Spring — 14 hours on, 10 hours off
  • Summer — 16 hours on, 8 hours off
  • Autumn — 10 hours on, 14 hours off
  • Winter — 8 hour on, 16 hours off

Do not place the enclosure directly in front of a window! The natural light may be tempting as a way to save electricity, but sunlight is well known to overheat reptile enclosures.

Do hognose snakes need UVB?

Because hognose snakes won’t die without UVB lighting, many say that it is not necessary for keeping them as pets. However, UVB is highly beneficial, as snakes can and do synthesize vitamin D3 from exposure to UVB wavelengths. Studies are finding that there are also other benefits which improve the snake’s overall wellbeing. Many keepers have observed more activity and overall better health in their snakes after adding UV lighting.

For these reasons ReptiFiles recommends providing UVB as part of your hognose snake’s setup. For more information, read my article, What is UVB, and Why is it Important to Reptile Husbandry?

How to set up UVB for hognose snakes:

As a fossorial species, hognose snakes are classified under Ferguson Zone 2, which means they should receive a maximum UVI of 2.0-3.0. The UVB should be roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of the terrarium’s length. So if your enclosure is 36″ long, then you will need an 18-24″ long bulb.

The strength of UVB that a reptile is exposed to depends on its distance from the bulb, so it’s very important to take distance into consideration when you’re installing the basking area. Specifically, you need to pay attention to the distance between the UVB bulb and the snake’s back when it’s on the basking surface:

Lamp mounted above mesh (recommended for safety):

Without mesh obstruction:

I recommend installing your UVB bulb in a Vivarium Electronics T5 HO or Arcadia ProT5 fixture. Optimal use distance is likely to be more variable if you use something different. 

The above distance recommendations assume a ~35% mesh block. It is strongly recommended to use a Solarmeter 6.5 to determine the best placement whenever possible. For more details on adjusting basking distance based on mesh obstruction, see the Facebook group Reptile Lighting > Guides > Guide 1: Using T5-HO lamps above a Mesh Screen.

Your UVB will need to be changed every 12 months to remain effective, even if it still seems to be working.

Hognose Temperatures, Lighting & Humidity — Western hognose enjoying some natural sunlight

Photo contributed by Krista Childers.

Heating

Snakes are cold-blooded, which means that they don’t produce their own body heat like humans do. Instead, they rely on the temperature of their environment for the heat they need to move, digest, etc.

There is no one “ideal” hognose temperature. Instead, they need a range of temperatures inside the enclosure so that they can warm up and cool down when they feel like it.

Eastern and Southern hognoses —

  • Basking zone: 86-88°F (30-31°C)
  • Mid-range: 75-85°F (24-29°C)
  • Nighttime temps: no colder than 60°F (16°C)
65°F/19°C is likely to be a better nighttime minimum for southern hognoses.

Western hognoses —

  • Basking zone: 90-95°F (32-35°C)
  • Mid-range: 75-85°F (24-29°C)
  • Nighttime temps: no colder than 60°F (16°C)

Measure and keep track of the temperatures in your snake’s enclosure with a pair of digital probe thermometers: one probe on the basking spot, and another on the cool end of the setup. 

Heating your hognose snake enclosure

In nature, warmth comes from the sun (above), not from the ground (below). In fact, reptiles retreat underground to escape the sun and get cooler, not warmer. Providing warmth from below, as with a heat mat, is therefore unnatural and will promote unnatural behaviors. Heat lamps solve this problem by mimicking the effects of the sun and warming both the air and the ground below.

Of course, there are several different types of heat lamps:

  • Halogen and “incandescent” heat bulbs produce primarily IR-A and IR-B.
  • Deep heat projectors and other carbon-filament bulbs produce primarily IR-B and IR-C.
  • Ceramic heat emitters produce primarily IR-C.

Considering that the goal is to replicate sunlight as the primary source of heat in a hognose snake’s environment, incandescent and halogen heat bulbs are the most effective method of providing heat to your ectothermic pet.

The absolute BEST heat lamp on the market is the Reptile Systems Gold Infrared Lamp Unit. The particular construction of this unique incandescent lamp produces extremely high levels of IR-A, making it extra effective for heating poikilotherms (i.e. reptiles). It also has a very long lifespan, which helps justify the investment.

If the Gold Infrared lamp is more expensive than what you have budget for, the next best choice is a standard heat lamp. Both reptile-branded and generic incandescent bulbs can work well for the purpose, but not all incandescent bulbs are appropriate for heating reptiles. These are my preferred bulbs:

Halogen bulbs are generally best when used over mesh, and the spot bulbs are generally best if you have to install your heat lamps inside the enclosure.

Hognose snakes have been observed basking on rocks and logs in the wild, so placing a flat, light-colored stone or piece of wood underneath the heat source will help them warm up more efficiently.

If your heat bulb is on top of the enclosure: You will need a lamp fixture. I like the Zoo Med Mini Combo Deep Dome, but any well-made 5.5″ deep dome with a ceramic socket will work. Avoid obscure brands on Amazon, as they may not be safe to use. To best create a temperature gradient, place it on the far end of the enclosure — temperatures will naturally get cooler farther from the heat source. 

If your heat bulb is inside of the enclosure: It should come with a pre-installed ceramic socket, but it may not come with a bulb cage. A bulb cage creates a barrier between your snake and the super-hot heat bulb. Hognose snakes may be primarily fossorial, but they still climb on occasion!

What wattage of heat bulb will you need?

I wish I could give you a direct answer, but it depends on the size of your enclosure, how far away the light is installed from the basking surface, and whether the bulb is inside the enclosure or on top of it. Generally speaking, at least one 50w halogen bulb is a good place to start if you’re using a mesh-top enclosure. Using two bulbs rather than one create a larger basking area with more even heating for your snake to warm up more efficiently. But be aware that you may need to increase or decrease the wattage in order to get the right temps.

What about night heat?

Hognose snakes don’t need any kind of “night bulb” to keep them warm at night. These products were developed back in the day when we believed that reptiles needed to stay warm when their normal heat lamps were turned off. Providing a nighttime heat bulb can prevent a diurnal reptile from sleeping well, weakening their health.

DO NOT USE HEAT ROCKS!

Heat rocks (also known as hot rocks/rock heaters/etc.) are manufactured and distributed under the same premise as an electric blanket — convenient heat whenever your reptile needs it. Sounds like a great idea, right? However, heat rocks are notoriously unreliable, and many a reptile has lost its life due to severe burns caused by these devices. They’re also not a good choice for heating your enclosure, as it only warms the rock’s surface, not the surrounding air.

Brumation

For best health, hognose snakes should be cooled and allowed to brumate for 2-3 months each winter. For information on brumation and how to do it, visit this page.

Hognose Temperatures, Lighting & Humidity — Eastern hognose in its natural environment

Eastern hognose. Photo contributed by Krista Childers.

Humidity

Western hognoses need relatively dry conditions — 30-50% is a comfortable range. This may not require any additional work on your part to maintain appropriate humidity levels for this species. However, if you live in a dry climate, you may need to pour water into the (cool side) substrate occasionally to increase ambient and soil humidity levels.

Eastern and Southern hognoses prefer slightly higher humidity — 50-60%, especially when they’re about to shed. Offering a humid hide (hide stuffed with moist sphagnum moss) and mixing water directly into the bedding is a good way to help accommodate this need, but it’s also helpful to keep the substrate on the cool side of the enclosure slightly moistened.

Keeping a pressure sprayer full of water on hand is a good way to provide a quick humidity boost. 

Keep reading about hognose snake care:

  1. Introduction to Hognose Snakes
  2. Hognose Shopping List
  3. Species of the Heterodon Genus
  4. Terrarium Size Guidelines
  5. Temperature & Humidity Requirements 
  6. Substrate Options for Hognose Snakes
  7. Environmental Enrichment: Decorating the Terrarium
  8. Feeding Your Hognose Snake
  9. Handling Tips & Body Language Info
  10. Common Diseases & Hognose Health Questions
  11. Additional Resources

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