hognose vs. ball python?

[melrappmel]

Im considering getting either a spider ball or a hognose after I get Christmas money I already have a normal female ball python (pandora) so I know a bit about bp's. But I have also seen and handled some hognose snakes and they are pretty cute.... which one do you perfer? (just to hear others opinions)

Thanks, Melissa

[anatess]

BOTH!

We have both ball pythons and a hognose and they are so different that it's amazing what you can learn from owning both. We're planning on adding one more hognose when we find one we like that is not over a thousand bucks! We want a superconda so bad... but man, we gotta break the bank to own one!

The lively personality of the hognose is a good balance to the "laziness" of the ball python. The strike-and-constrict action of the ball python is an amazing thing to experience as opposed to the chase-and-subdue action of the hognose. We don't see the ball pythons during the day - we see the hognose more - unless he's buried under the substrate. The little keeled body of the hognose is a break from the heavy smooth ball python. They're on different sides of the house - the ball pythons are at 80 room temp all year round which is what I like, the hognose is at 72 and then down to 65 in winter which is what my husband likes.

So yeah, gotta have both.

[melrappmel]

I know what you mean it seems all the really cool looking hognoses are way more than I can afford! hey what do you know maybe my family will finally fall in love with snakes and quit being afraid of them and then they'll buy me both for a really suprising christmas present!

[j_h_smith]

If you're just collecting pets, why not go for the hognose?

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

[melrappmel]

Im just not sure because im not really in love with how the normals look and anything else looks really expensive

[jefrow]

hognoses look so cool i held one at the last show i went to and it made me want one so bad. right now im trying to decide between a jcp or hognose and im leaning way toward the hognose lol.

[mommanessy247]

personally i wont touch anything venomous with a 10 ft pole if i could help it, lol. i got small kids so, yeah. i know they're only mildly venomous and it poses no risk to us but still it IS venom regardless.
plus the fact that they're rear fanged which means that should they choose to take on your hand they'd have to literally chew on you to get their teeth into you, eeek. no thank you, .
for those who have hognoses, please, before you chew me out for this response, let me tell you that in no way, shape or form am i bashing you for owning them, i'm merely just stating my opinions.
"safety 1st" has always been my motto.

[olstyn]

(Somewhat) with you there, mommanessy - my GF is the type who's allergic to just about everything, and is deathly afraid of bee stings as a result. Given that, it's pretty likely she'd be one of the people who have a severe reaction to hognose venom. Because of that, she's gone from "oh, they're cute, why don't you want one of them instead of a carpet python," to "*sigh*, I guess they're off the list..."

[Lolo76]

Since you already have a BP, I'd say go for a hognose!! I have a one year-old hoggie named Charlotte, and she is honestly the coolest snake in my collection - and I currently have 29 snakes altogether. Anatess summarized the differences pretty well, so there's not much more to add... but I will say that Charlotte's SO much more "interactive" than my BPs, who literally spend 98% of their lives sleeping in their hides.

My hognose, on the other hand, actually seems to desire regular handling. We "cuddle" (she curls on/near my lap) for about an hour almost every night... and if I fail to let her out for this daily session, she'll push the tub lid up & down with her nose to get my attention. I don't spend this kind of time with ANY other snake in my collection, which tells me she has a unique & special personality. I love my little snub-nosed girl.

As for the venom and rear-fanged issue, I wouldn't know because she's never tried to bite me! While hognoses can have their pissy moods (even mine), and love to hiss for no reason in particular, they really don't bite very often... and if they do, it's typically a closed-mouth bluff. Even at feeding time mine's never tried to bite me, and FYI it's super cool to watch them eat - totally different from the BP's strike & coil process. They are great little snakes, and I'd recommend them to nearly anyone who's interested.

[Lolo76]

I know what you mean it seems all the really cool looking hognoses are way more than I can afford! hey what do you know maybe my family will finally fall in love with snakes and quit being afraid of them and then they'll buy me both for a really suprising christmas present!

That would be a nice surprise!

The hognose morphs are expensive, yes, since it's a fairly new thing in the snake world (I think). But IMO the "normals" are just as nice looking, and do come in a variety of shades... here's a comparison between mine & one I saw at a pet shop, both considered wild-type hognoses. Btw, I only paid $75 + shipping for my girl.

My snake:




The one at a pet shop: