Eastern Hognose

[Wade]

Just for fun, one of my favorites, Heterodon platirhinos.

Very highly variable, im my area I've seen them all black, bright orange (like cheetos), and tan. This one has a lot of yellow.

These guys are real neat, as a defensive bluff, they will spread their neck out in a cobra-like fasion (although they hold their head down when doing it)and hiss, or else they will roll on their back, stick out their tounge,and play dead (they get over that second one in captivity). The puffed-out head trick gets alot of them killed by nitwits who mistake them for venomous snakes (not that I condone killing venomous ones either). Yes, they're rear fanged venomous, but you'd pretty much have to stick you finger down their throat to get envenomated, and even then the effects are negligable.

Generally, they don't make great pets because this species feeds primarily on toads in the wild, but we've successfully gotten this one to take pinkie mice so it's doing great.

Wade

 

[Phillip]

nice...

Sweet looking Eastern Wade. Is it a wild caught? If so it's great that you got it to start on pinks. Even so great looking snake.

Phil

 

[Bry]

Those are cool snakes. Doesn't feeding them a rodent diet eventually lead to liver and kidney problems?

Bry

 

[Philth]

Generally, they don't make great pets because this species feeds primarily on toads in the wild, but we've successfully gotten this one to take pinkie mice so it's doing great.

Those are cool snakes, I had one that did not live becuase it wouldnt eat. I fed it a Firebelly newt as a last resort. I believe it ate it and then regergatated it. I'm notsure if firebellies are poisunous or not but the snake died a few days later. I only used the newt as a last resort, becuase the snake was on his way out any way. Nice snake there though, i love the hognose.

 

[Bry]

If firebelly newts are anything like firebelly toads, which I think they are, then yes, they are toxic.

Bry

 

[Ravnos]

Eastern hognose are known for getting liver problems when they are fed a rodent diet, they should be kept on amphibians. They are not like Western hognose, which can do well on a rodent diet. Not to mention, they should only be fed toads native to their range because of the toxins. Hognose have a natural immunity to the toxins in native toads and salamanders - they have no defense against something not native. The fire belly is known to be particularily toxic (the bright red means something, no?), and is not native to the hognose range and would most likely be damaging, if not fatal when consumed.

Rav

 

[Wade]

Ravnos-

Do you referance on the liver failure issue? Not that I'm doubting you, but this snake is part of an institutional collection and we would like that information if it's available. I've also heard that after they sart feeding on rodents, they can't go back to toads as they loose the resistance to the toxin. I have no idea if that's true or not.

Phil-

Yes, it's wild collected, as a juvinile. Like many of our animals at the nature center, they were brought to us by someone who found it their yard. Normally, we release such animals (descreetly back where they came from), but this snake was excavated accidently in the dead of winter so we kept it. Had it not started feeding so well, we would have released it when it warmed up. We did have to scent the pinks with toad the first couple times but now it takes them with no probblems. It's quadrupled in size since we first aquired it.

Wade

 

[Ravnos]

There is an article on it on hognose.com. They recently rearranged their site, and I couldn't find the specific article they talk about it in a brief look, but they allude to it in their care sheets.

Rav

 

[Wade]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Wade