New snake (Western Hognose)

[Obelisk]

I love keeping this little guy (or girl).

 

[Lucara]

Aww I love hognoses!! So cute!

 

[Widowman10]

nice! they are tons of fun! i just got one recently too!

 

[codykrr]

very nice, but does anyone know if there is any "eastern hognoses" in the hobby?

i would like to find one someday.

 

[Widowman10]

easterns are a bit more difficult when it comes to feeding. you have to have a good steady supply of frogs/toads. the westerns can feed exclusively on rodents whereas the other species can't. that being said, you can find them available if you look.

 

[pitbulllady]

very nice, but does anyone know if there is any "eastern hognoses" in the hobby?

i would like to find one someday.

There are, but they aren't common for reasons already stated, and you will pay handsomely for a cb Eastern that eats rodents(they CAN sometimes be switched over to rodents, but it's very difficult with these guys), especially if it is a colorful individual, with the oranges and yellows, since those, even wc toad-eaters, are in the greatest demand. Most of the Easterns I see at the reptile shows are the melanistic ones, which seem to have pretty much taken over the gene pool in the southeast.

pitbulllady

 

[Obelisk]

Easterns are pretty cool-looking too, though I prefer the color pattern of the Westerns.

nice! they are tons of fun! i just got one recently too!

I never saw that thread, though I did see the one where it had a bulge near its tail. Glad to see that issue was solved.

 

[Widowman10]

pitbulllady, i've heard that easterns can and will eat rodents, but they will develop problems when fed on a rodent-only diet, unlike the westerns. they NEED the toads for nutrition so they don't develop any problems.

 

[ArachnidSentinl]

Wonderful little snake! I've been thinking about getting a hog for some time now.

 

[codykrr]

thanks for the info PBL and widowman! I didnt know any of that.

so do the western's come in other colors or morphs or anything? And whats the going price for a western?

 

[pitbulllady]

pitbulllady, i've heard that easterns can and will eat rodents, but they will develop problems when fed on a rodent-only diet, unlike the westerns. they NEED the toads for nutrition so they don't develop any problems.

I know people who have kept Easterns on a rodent diet for many years with no problems, and the debate still rages back and forth on the Hognose forums as to whether this harms them or not. I've never even gotten one to eat a scented rodent myself. There isn't any nutritional value in a toad that is not found in a rodent, actually, just toxins, and I can't see how that would benefit the snake even though it obviously doesn't harm them. The controversy is not over the nutritional value of mice vs. toads, but whether or not the hair on the rodents can cause impactions in the snake's gut, since it's not designed to handle hair or feathers, unlike the digestive systems of many other snakes. Of course, feeding pinkies or fuzzies would minimize that problem if indeed it IS a problem, since those have little hair. Water Snakes aren't "designed" to eat rodents, either, and do not eat them in the wild, but I've had several of mine on scented(or non-scented, once they get started)rodents for a couple of years now and they have no problems at all. In fact, they are actually healthier and have far less runny, messy, smelly poop than the ones that eat fish or amphibians. I don't know why a Hognose would be any different.

pitbulllady

 

[Widowman10]

cool! thanks for the info! still new at the whole snake-keeping thing

 

[Luiscifer]

Congrats on the piggie (thats what i call em) i have two of em myself. I have a female albino het for snow and a male normal het for albino. I got so lucky too. My sister bought the female for me and the guy had a surplus of males so he just gave us the other. Id love to get a few more. Congrats again.

 

[Malhavoc's]

I know people who have kept Easterns on a rodent diet for many years with no problems, and the debate still rages back and forth on the Hognose forums as to whether this harms them or not. I've never even gotten one to eat a scented rodent myself. There isn't any nutritional value in a toad that is not found in a rodent, actually, just toxins, and I can't see how that would benefit the snake even though it obviously doesn't harm them. The controversy is not over the nutritional value of mice vs. toads, but whether or not the hair on the rodents can cause impactions in the snake's gut, since it's not designed to handle hair or feathers, unlike the digestive systems of many other snakes. Of course, feeding pinkies or fuzzies would minimize that problem if indeed it IS a problem, since those have little hair. Water Snakes aren't "designed" to eat rodents, either, and do not eat them in the wild, but I've had several of mine on scented(or non-scented, once they get started)rodents for a couple of years now and they have no problems at all. In fact, they are actually healthier and have far less runny, messy, smelly poop than the ones that eat fish or amphibians. I don't know why a Hognose would be any different.

pitbulllady

Could the toxins not be beneficial to digestion and overall health? Poison dart frogs for instance that store the toxins of the ants they consume, it would not beunheard of it they had found away to use the chemicle secretions of their chosen diet.

 

[Anubis77]

Good looking snakes. Keeping them is loads of fun. A male I have now was my first snake. Jumpy, prone to hissing and defensive stances. He'll also try to eat fingers indiscriminately so handling is always interesting. The behavior is sort of comical coming from such a small and strange snake.

Handling them early would probably help with all that though.

 

[Obelisk]

It's an awesome snake. Recently it hasn't been feeding (for almost 2 weeks I think). It's still defecating regularly and not losing weight, so it's probably just being a typical hognose. The males are said to be more finicky and inconsistent feeders than the females, so I'm going to see if I can sex it (without probing it, that is).

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

wow that snake is really beautiful! how is their temperament?

i read that they're rear fanged venomous...is that ever a concern?

 

[Obelisk]

wow that snake is really beautiful! how is their temperament?

i read that they're rear fanged venomous...is that ever a concern?

It gets slightly nervous when I try to pick it up, but so far I've been able to handle it without any problems.

Heterodon have a saliva that is considered to be venomous. But, it's mild to the point where they aren't considered "hot."
Even when they are provoked, they tend to just strike with their mouth closed.


"In several cases involving bites by Heterodon nasicus, victims reported a combination of symptoms ranging from no reaction to mild tingling, swelling and numbness."

http://www.hognose.com/pages/venomous.htm

 

[pouchedrat]

Pretty hognose, I am in love with this albino hognose baby I keep seeing advertised. I just haven't the money for something like that...

 

[Boanerges]

Beautiful hognose!!!