hognose help

[liam1995]

hi i am liam and im new to the forum. Im am looking for anyone who could tell me if western hognoses are good pets and how you found them. I am getting a snake in a couple of months but i havn't decided which snake to get. I have looked up ball pythons and corn snakes. So was wondering if a hognose would be a good choice

thanks

[Leigh]

Hey Liam, My names Hayley
Hognoses are rear fang venomous and so are not suitable for first time keepers really, my dad has a hognose and he is the nastiest little thing in the collection! Just trying to clean him out is a challenge because he constantly striking and then plays dead.

The other 2 snakes that you mentioned, Corn Snakes and Royal Pythons are better as a first time snake, Corns especially. Corns don’t get too big, aren’t known to bite or be aggressive in any way and are brilliant eaters. Royals are the same in most the ways apart from they are noted as being really bad eaters and are known to go on hunger strikes for anything up to 13 months, 13 months being the record for this so far, but if you find one that is a good eater then they are fantastic!

Hope this has helped

[Samantha]

If it is your first snake I would say go with a corn or ball.

[hermitman64]

Hi Liam, welcome to the forum.

As Samantha said, there are better snakes for a first snake. Rosy boas, kenyan sand boas, kingsnakes, ball pythons, corn snakes, and multiple others make great pets.

My absolute favorite introductory snakes are rosy boas and California kingsnakes, but I must admit, I'm biased.

Anyway, hognose snakes can be kept fairly easily, as is the case with most colubrids, though they are not often considered beginner snakes. Of course, I'm not even sure if this is your first snake, so I'm making assumptions here.

Either way, as long as you do the proper research you should be fine; here is a good website for hognose snakes:

Hognose.com: The Definitive Guide to the World's Hognoses

And remember (I'm sure you've already considered this) that hognose do possess mild venom - while this venom does not usually impact humans much if at all, it is always best to be on the safe side.

[Vanilla_Rat]

If this is your first snake,as the others suggested,check out corn snakes or pythons!

[Mygala]

I'm not a fan of Ball Pythons as a first snake. I've seen many that were a bit picky about their environment, enough to make them go off their feed for a bit.

I agree with those who recommended corns or kings. I'm a milksnake fan, I've had Sinaloans, Hondurans, Mexican Black, all are great snakes, and as good a snake as you can get for a beginner. JMO

bob

[liam1995]

yes, i've picked the hognose because it doesn't kill by contriction [mum doesn't like it]. I've kept my eye on a cal. king snake for the past week in the pet store. Thanks for the suggestions. I know the hognose has venom but in all the care sheets i've looked at it only causes swelling, and you have to put your hand down its mouth to be bitten. Thanks anyway.

[Ravnos]

I personally think the western hognose is really no harder to care for than a king or corn, but they are a little more easily stressed and generally need a little more full-body support when being handled, as they don't "hang on" like some other colubrids will. One has to be careful to not confuse care for the western hognose with that of the other species, like the eastern or southern... or even the exotic species, like the Madagascar varieties or the South American ones. Those are all quite different in care needs.

I've never actually had one bite at anything but food, and I think you'd have to try pretty hard to get one to bite you, but anything can happen I suppose. There's a website out there somewhere with a guy who wanted to see the effects and basically let a western hognose chew on him. The real fear with lightly venomous snakes is not the venom itself, it's the possibility of an allergic reaction to it. Everybody's tolerance is different, one person may just get swelling around the bite area, another may have a full anaphylactic reaction. Though, I've never heard of this happening with a hognose, but if it can happen from an ant bite or bee sting, there's no reason why it can't from a hognose too if the conditions are right. Unless you already have a known venom allergy, I wouldn't consider it to be a risk, personally.

I feel they're great little snakes, with a ton of personality and as long as you meet their basic care requirements, can do great as pets. Though, if you're only avoiding a king snake or corn snake because they are constrictors, hognose often employ methods such as body pinning, and then rely on their enlarged rear fangs to hold onto a prey item. It isn't going to be any less "disturbing" to watch for someone who doesn't really like snakes to begin with.

The best place to acquire one will be from a reputable breeder. Someone with a guarantee and will answer your questions.

[Leigh]

ive seen some one put in hospital in intensive care after a hognose bite, but then in the same month someone just had swellings around their bite site so imalways cautious with hognoses as i dont know if i am or not