Need to know a few things on my new interest.

The problem is they don't bite and release. If you get bit, then they thought you were food. They latch down and start grinding the fangs into you. You have to run them under hot water until they let you go. It still shouldn't take nearly as long as that guy let it chew, but odds are it'll still be long enogh to cause swelling.

I wouldn't worry about it. It's pretty hard to get bit unless you are doing something stupid while feeding. Use tongs or place the food on the cage floor, and don't play with them when there are mice around and you'll be fine.

I actually got bit by mine a few days ago, thought I'd share my harrowing ordeal :)

My fault entirely for not washing my hands well enough after playing with my rats, but I was holding her in one had while I cleaned her tank with the other. I went to put her down and noticed she was latched onto the webbing between my fingers and dangling from my hand. I have no idea how long she had been biting me, but worst case scenario it was about 5 minutes. I got her off and had two teeny little pinpricks of blood. Never felt the initial bite, no pain, no swelling, no itching; absolutley no effects at all.

http://www.venomousreptiles.org/articles/97

The odds of you having an allergic reaction to snake venom is very slim.........unless you have been previously subjected to the venom.

The swelling from a hognose bite is from venom produced in a venom gland - not toxic saliva. The swelling and discomfort associated with a hognose envenomation is due to the venom - not an allergic reaction.

http://www.venomdoc.com/forums/viewt...ight=heterodon

Again, read up on venom allergies - they are due to previous exposure to the venom. The most common vehicle of this exposure is through the nose (dried venom inhalation during cleaning and handling) and is somewhat common to species that produce copious amounts of venom (and get is smeared or scattered in their cages).

Heterodon are not one of these species.

thank you to all responses. time to get back to hognose researching

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

1- how are their temperaments?
2- easy to care for?
3- if I do get a Hognose, which Hognose morph would cost me less but still looks pretty cool?
4- how big of an enclosure would an adult need?
5- do they need UTHs, or would a lamp do just fine?
6- are they finicky eaters?
7- would you recommend this snake to someone who is looking for a good beginner snake?

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1 - Like any snake, the temperament will vary on the animal. As a rule, heterodon will bluff, hiss and fake strike. Defensive bites, while not unknown, are the exception to the rule.

2 - In general - they are easy to care for. The exception is that they can be finicky eaters.

3 - A regular western or mexican hognose itself looks cool - in my opinion. I'm really not into morphs so take that with a grain of salt.

4 - I keep my adults in a blanket box rack with a deep substrate. People keep them successfully in smaller enclosures.

5 - Either way. My preference would be an UTH.

6 - They can be very finicky. That is the only really challenging part of keeping them.

7 - My son's first snake was a western hognose. Westerns make an excellent beginner's snake.