If one reptile's paperwork revolves around a single column, it is the hognose's feeding log. Hognose snakes are famous for dramatic bluff displays and equally dramatic hunger strikes, and a written record is the only reliable way to tell an ordinary fast from one that matters. Around that central log sit weights, shed records, and seasonal notes that together describe a burrowing snake with strong opinions about dinner.
A feeding log built for a drama-prone eater
For every feeding day, record what you offered (almost always a thawed pinky or fuzzy mouse for a pet hognose), how the snake responded, whether that was an instant strike, slow acceptance, a hood-and-hiss bluff, or a flat refusal, and whether the meal stayed down. Note the size of prey as the snake grows, because steps up in prey size often trigger short refusals of their own. When a refusal streak begins, the log earns its keep: you can see exactly how long it has run, whether it lines up with a shed, a cold snap in the room, or the start of winter, and whether previous streaks ended on their own. Write down successful tricks too, such as a prey item left overnight near the burrow entrance, so the next fast starts with what already worked.
Weight is how you judge a fast
A hognose can refuse food for weeks while losing almost nothing, and that distinction lives in the weight column. Weigh the snake every couple of weeks during any fast and monthly otherwise, noting whether it has just eaten. A fasting snake that holds its weight and stays active, burrowing as usual, is usually just being a hognose; a snake losing weight steadily is a different story. Record sheds alongside, since hognose shed less often than fast-growing youngsters of other species, and a shed date often explains a fortnight of refusals just before it. Keep vet summaries with the log: what was examined, any parasite-check results, and the vet's own view of when a fast becomes their concern.
One more column earns its place during stubborn fasts: what finally worked. Hognose snakes in the wild specialize in toads, and some reluctant feeders only start again on prey rubbed with a frog or toad scent, or offered in a small dark tub where the snake feels hidden. Record every trick you try, scented or plain, in a hide or in the open, with the result, because the note that ends one hunger strike in a single evening can otherwise take a fortnight of experiments to rediscover.
Seasonal and behavior notes
Note burrowing patterns and surface activity across the year; many hognose slow down and eat less as the days shorten, and a log showing the same dip last winter is reassuring evidence rather than a mystery. Record bluff displays and musk incidents loosely too, because a snake that suddenly turns defensive after a calm year has changed something, and the note may matter at a vet visit. Contact a vet if weight falls steadily through a fast, if the snake seems limp or unresponsive out of its burrow, if you see bubbles at the nostrils or hear clicking breaths, or if a fast runs far beyond the longest one in its history. Storing the feeding log, weights, and seasonal notes in KinsLe's Pet Passport means any vet can see at a glance whether this fast is a pattern or a problem.