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 our article, What is UVB, and Why is it Important to Reptile Husbandry?
What UVB should you use for hognose snakes?
Hognoses are fossorial, which means they don’t get a whole lot of sun exposure in the wild. Use one of the following:
- 6% T5 Arcadia Forest bulb and fixture
- Zoo Med Reptisun T5 HO 5.0 kit
- 10.0 T8 Zoo Med Reptisun linear tube and fixture
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. If your enclosure has a screen lid, install the light on the underside of the lid, because mesh blocks UVB rays. Then make sure to provide lots of hiding places and potential basking spots so your snake can choose how much UVB it wants at the moment.

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)
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)
The temperatures listed above reflect the ideal range of surface temperatures throughout the enclosure, and what matters most to the snake. The most accurate way to measure surface temperature is with an infrared temperature gun like the Etekcity Lasergrip 774.
Heating your hognose snake enclosure
Conventional wisdom for achieving the right hognose temperature is to use a heat mat, and some people will argue in favor of heat mats until the day they die. But nature doesn’t have heat mats, and temperatures underground tend to be *cooler* than temperatures on the surface, not warmer. Heat mats also have trouble penetrating the thick layer of bedding required for hognoses and often don’t affect air temperature.
Instead of using a heat mat, use a dimmable heat lamp to create the temperatures that your snake needs. 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. Many reptile keepers use halogen floodlight bulbs instead of reptile-specific bulbs because they tend to last much longer than the ones you get at the pet store. Go figure!
- PRO TIP: If your heat bulb is installed inside of the enclosure rather than behind a screen lid, install a mesh guard to create a barrier between your snake and the super-hot heat bulb. Hognose snakes may be fossorial, but they still like to climb!
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 and how far away the light is installed from the basking surface. Generally speaking, a 70w halogen flood light is a good place to start. But be aware that you may need to increase or decrease the wattage in order to get the right temps. Using a lamp dimmer with a higher-wattage heat bulb can help save some frustration by giving you more control over how much heat is produced.
Hognose snakes have also been observed basking on rocks in the wild, so placing a flat stone underneath the heat source will help them warm up more efficiently.
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.

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:
- Introduction to Hognose Snakes
- Hognose Shopping List
- Species of the Heterodon Genus
- Terrarium Size Guidelines
- Temperature & Humidity Requirements
- Substrate Options for Hognose Snakes
- Environmental Enrichment: Decorating the Terrarium
- Feeding Your Hognose Snake
- Handling Tips & Body Language Info
- Common Diseases & Hognose Health Questions
- Additional Resources
This page contains affiliate links.