Western Hognose vs Grey banded Kingsnake Vs Corn

I have owned two corn snakes before, but had to give it up dew to the fact
that I had to work overseas for a while, and I was barely home. But im back now and I want to get another snake.

But thats where you you guys come in, I must choose between a Western Hognose, Another Corn snake, or a Grey banded kingsnake.

I have read up about WHN and GBK but Im looking for one with a nice personality, and not too big. handling between the
two? which one would you advise? which one likes handling more? and how long does it take
for the GBK to get over their musking issue? Are they better than Cal Kings? their temper?

If you have experience with all, please help me out. Thanks:D

Well that's a toughie, hoggies are adorable, though they can be finicky feeders when young. My hoggie is a bit hissy, but great once out of her enclosure. Corns are always great snakes, simple husbandry, laid back attitude, I have 2 and I love them dearly. Grey bands are also winners, harder to find, but stay smaller. They can be musky, but anything can musk when frightened. I thoroughly enjoyed working with neonate grey bands when I was assisting my friend that breeds snakes, they were sweet little babies, difficult to get feeding though.

Which would I advise? I'm not sure that I could choose between the 3.

GBK: I never had issues with getting musked with the GBKs, though they did musk my friend a good bit. They also nipped him a few times, though I never got nipped at haha. He was the one that sexed the snakes, so maybe they got off on a bad foot. The adults were beautiful, and very docile in temperament.

Hoggies: Great snakes, and who doesn't love that upturned nose? They require a tad more heat than the other 2, and I keep UV light on to stimulate a more natural day night cycle. Very active during the day, and out in the open as opposed to hiding. You may get the hiss and headbutt intimidation display, but they rarely bite. I think my girl bit my boyfriend twice, but it was close to feeding day, so I don't attribute that to an aggressive personality by any means.

Corns: you know about keeping corns :) They're great snakes, don't mind handling at all, great eaters, what's not to love?

Good luck! You have a tough decision to make! I look forward to hearing which snake you choose to go with :)

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I would go for the GBK if it were me. WHN are neat, but I was never really a hognose person. I've owned corn snakes as a kid, and wouldn't get one again, just not a big want on them. Kings are awesome, and you can get a wide array of personalities. Some will musk, some won't at all, then some are nippy as babies. You can get over any of those eventually as long as you're willing to work with the snakes. My rat snake which I got towards the end of last year bit me every chance he got. I just kept working with him and now he doesn't bite. He will still try to rattle his tail when I touch him in the enclosure but he's fine out.

So, my vote goes to the king.

Ahh its just so hard to decide, dew to the fact that I love all snakes! but that sound really interesting what you said about hoggies which is calm once out of enclosure. but now I want to know, are they snakes that will just sit and relax with you, like brown house snakes ive had once aswell, or are they like corns, they just move around and tend to be on a mission? And one last thing, are they more curious than other snakes, like corns? mine always hid. never in the open. And the GBK are hard to find, especially here in Africa where I stay! :\ Thank You, Ill be waiting for your response :)

I understand, I know the brown house snake ive had was very aggressive< it was wild caught. But I handled him every ay, and now he does'nt even strike. It all depends on the snake itself. But If I get a GBK in my area I will definitely take it aswell. Are they expensive snakes? have'nt seen one yet here.

I have owned two corn snakes before and a brown house snake, but had to give it up dew to the fact
that I had to work overseas for a while, and I was barely home. But im back now and I want to get another snake.

But thats where you you guys come in, I must choose between a Western Hognose, Another Corn snake, or a Grey banded kingsnake.

I have read up about WHN and GBK but Im looking for one with a nice personality, and not too big. handling between the
two? which one would you advise? which one likes handling more? and how long does it take
for the GBK to get over their musking issue? Are they better than Cal Kings? their temper?

If you have experience with all, please help me out. Thanks:D

We have two kings - a Mexican Black and a Thayeri-phase Mexican. Both are absolute sweethearts, very easy to handle, never had a bad attitude.

We also have a Hoggie, but she's got issues from a lopsided head that affect her handling, so I can't make a useful comparison between her and the kings.


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I live in PA, the babies were selling for about 100 dollars a piece here. Give or take a bit depending on coloration and gender.

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If your in living in Africa i would look around to see what you can find in local pet shops to get an idea for the market. Shipping snakes overseas can be very expensive. Local breeders would be something to look into.

I have owned two corn snakes before and a brown house snake, but had to give it up dew to the fact
that I had to work overseas for a while, and I was barely home. But im back now and I want to get another snake.

But thats where you you guys come in, I must choose between a Western Hognose, Another Corn snake, or a Grey banded kingsnake.

I have read up about WHN and GBK but Im looking for one with a nice personality, and not too big. handling between the
two? which one would you advise? which one likes handling more? and how long does it take
for the GBK to get over their musking issue? Are they better than Cal Kings? their temper?

If you have experience with all, please help me out. Thanks:D

I'd say cornsnakes have the most easy going temperment. My hognose is hissy when I open the tub but never strikes and calms down as soon as I pick him up. I've never owned a Kingsnake but I've heard they can be....temperamental. ;)

My vote goes to hognose, they may be hissy but they are fun and have a ton of personality.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Houghie

I have owned two corn snakes before, but had to give it up dew to the fact
that I had to work overseas for a while, and I was barely home. But im back now and I want to get another snake.

But thats where you you guys come in, I must choose between a Western Hognose, Another Corn snake, or a Grey banded kingsnake.

I have read up about WHN and GBK but Im looking for one with a nice personality, and not too big. handling between the
two? which one would you advise? which one likes handling more? and how long does it take
for the GBK to get over their musking issue? Are they better than Cal Kings? their temper?

If you have experience with all, please help me out. Thanks:D

---

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Houghie

I have owned two corn snakes before and a brown house snake, but had to give it up dew to the fact
that I had to work overseas for a while, and I was barely home. But im back now and I want to get another snake.

But thats where you you guys come in, I must choose between a Western Hognose, Another Corn snake, or a Grey banded kingsnake.

I have read up about WHN and GBK but Im looking for one with a nice personality, and not too big. handling between the
two? which one would you advise? which one likes handling more? and how long does it take
for the GBK to get over their musking issue? Are they better than Cal Kings? their temper?

If you have experience with all, please help me out. Thanks:D

---

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Houghie

I have owned two corn snakes before and a brown house snake, but had to give it up dew to the fact
that I had to work overseas for a while, and I was barely home. But im back now and I want to get another snake.

But thats where you you guys come in, I must choose between a Western Hognose, Another Corn snake, or a Grey banded kingsnake.

I have read up about WHN and GBK but Im looking for one with a nice personality, and not too big. handling between the
two? which one would you advise? which one likes handling more? and how long does it take
for the GBK to get over their musking issue? Are they better than Cal Kings? their temper?

If you have experience with all, please help me out. Thanks:D

---

While I understand that you are new there is no need to post 3 identical threads, therefore in an effort to keep the forum clutter free all threads were merged into one.

Thank you, I'll also have a look.

Do a lot of poeple have hissy hogs? Just asking because I haven't had that issue with mine. They hiss at their food, but not me.

@Houghie: I have a Mexican Black Kingsnake and three Western Hognoses. Never had a Cornsnake, so I can't comment on them, but if I had to choose between the two species I have I would defintiely go with the Hogs. They're very active and curious, full of personality. As much as I love my MBK, it just kinda sits there. (Probably an odd complaint coming from a guy who loves ball pythons.)

Here are some of the cute things Hognoses do:

• Flatten out their bodies and hood like a cobra
• Open their mouths and lunge at their food
• Play dead
• Fake strikes
• Move around the enclosure to explore/hunt
• Burrow into loose substrate
• Sometimes when they're really agitated they can make their hiss sound like a Rattlesnake's tail. My yearling girl did this once when I put a live mouse in her cage. She's used to frozen thawed, so she was not at all happy about having a live mouse in there.

Plus I've never had a problem with Hogs peeing or musking on me... unlike a certain Kingsnake, who small remain nameless.

Thank you very much! Im almost certain Im gonna go with a Hoggie. they sound really interesting. one more thing I want to know.
Once a hoggie is out of its cage, is it calm and just relax with you, or is it active, alm ost like its on a mission the whole time?
Thank you :)

Depends on the snake. My yearling girl is really calm and she'll just cruise through my fingers. I also have two hatchlings and they're kinda squirmy, but I think that's just a hatchling thing. Baby snakes can be temperamental. I'm sure they'll calm down when they're older, and once they've had more time to get used to me.

Even if you happen to get a snake that's high-strung, most can be tamed down with daily handling. Just hold them for a few minutes each day (not too long or it'll stress them out) and try to make them as comfortable as possible. Don't restrain them, let them roam freely, and they'll learn that you're not a threat.

Thank you very much. Im gonna go with the Hoggie then. Female or male?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Houghie

Thank you very much. Im gonna go with the Hoggie then. Female or male?

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Males stay smaller, where as females can get up to 3 feet. It's all in what you want. I believe males also have a tendency to go off feed more often than females. Deborah is our main hoggie expert around here.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Houghie

Thank you very much! Im almost certain Im gonna go with a Hoggie. they sound really interesting. one more thing I want to know.
Once a hoggie is out of its cage, is it calm and just relax with you, or is it active, alm ost like its on a mission the whole time?
Thank you :)

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I've had a quick flick through these suggestions and can't fault anything I've seen ......that said whilst Hoggies are possibly the cutest looking snakes around .... as usual ....I didn't see any mention of Hognose's being rear-fanged and as such are classed as mildly venomous - certainly worth bearing in mind - as you indicated that you want frequent handling sessions I believe .... . A lot depends on the individuals reactions to the bite and wether they're sensitive to bites / stings etc and how bad a bite also is a factor . If they do bite and latch on then that can cause problems as I understand .


To be honest if you want a beautiful looking snake that won't get too big and that will sit on your lap for as long as you want - best option would be a Royal Python .... I've got Kings and Corns and they're all on a mission as soon as they're out if the Viv .


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Thank you, I am aware of that, and not that worried about it. But Im not really a BP fan, never owned one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by the_rotten1

Do a lot of poeple have hissy hogs? Just asking because I haven't had that issue with mine. They hiss at their food, but not me.

@Houghie: I have a Mexican Black Kingsnake and three Western Hognoses. Never had a Cornsnake, so I can't comment on them, but if I had to choose between the two species I have I would defintiely go with the Hogs. They're very active and curious, full of personality. As much as I love my MBK, it just kinda sits there. (Probably an odd complaint coming from a guy who loves ball pythons.)

Here are some of the cute things Hognoses do:

• Flatten out their bodies and hood like a cobra
• Open their mouths and lunge at their food
• Play dead
• Fake strikes
• Move around the enclosure to explore/hunt
• Burrow into loose substrate
• Sometimes when they're really agitated they can make their hiss sound like a Rattlesnake's tail. My yearling girl did this once when I put a live mouse in her cage. She's used to frozen thawed, so she was not at all happy about having a live mouse in there.

Plus I've never had a problem with Hogs peeing or musking on me... unlike a certain Kingsnake, who small remain nameless.

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Thats good to hear. my corn always pooped on me, not very nice. are hoggies messy snakes?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Houghie

Thank you, I am aware of that, and not that worried about it. But Im not really a BP fan, never owned one.

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That's fine then ...

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Houghie

Thats good to hear. my corn always pooped on me, not very nice. are hoggies messy snakes?

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Just shows we all have different experiences ... My 8 year old Corn has NEVER messed on anyone ....


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Things to consider with hognose vs King or corns.

Hogs very rarely bites however a bite is always a possibility and it is important to keep in mind that while they are rear fanged and contain a very mild venom a reaction is always a possibility.

Huffing and puffing (Cobra mode is what I call it) is not unusual for young individual but even more so with males not as much when reaching to handle than it is during feeding time.

Males remain very small 150 grams or so is considered a very good size male, females can reach 400 to 600 grams (6 hundred being considered a large individual).

They tend to be eating machine also males are prone to go of feed while females rarely will. First time owner often make the mistake to underfeed them forgetting that hatchlings have a very high metabolism, when young they should be fed every 3 days especially their first year.

Expected growth during the first year with a proper feeding schedule is 50 grams to 75 grams or more (female).

Temperatures requirement are high compare to corns or kings with a hot spot of 90 to 94.

Humidity is the same with an ambient humidity that is sufficient to allow proper shed.

Hognose have it all, very manageable size, cuteness, very alert and inquisitive when handles really a great over all snake.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Things to consider with hognose vs King or corns.

Hogs very rarely bites however a bite is always a possibility and it is important to keep in mind that while they are rear fanged and contain a very mild venom a reaction is always a possibility.

Huffing and puffing (Cobra mode is what I call it) is not unusual for young individual but even more so with males not as much when reaching to handle than it is during feeding time.

Males remain very small 150 grams or so is considered a very good size male, females can reach 400 to 600 grams (6 hundred being considered a large individual).

They tend to be eating machine also males are prone to go of feed while females rarely will. First time owner often make the mistake to underfeed them forgetting that hatchlings have a very high metabolism, when young they should be fed every 3 days especially their first year.

Expected growth during the first year with a proper feeding schedule is 50 grams to 75 grams or more (female).

Temperatures requirement are high compare to corns or kings with a hot spot of 90 to 94.

Humidity is the same with an ambient humidity that is sufficient to allow proper shed.

Hognose have it all, very manageable size, cuteness, very alert and inquisitive when handles really a great over all snake.

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Thank you very much. So every 3 days you say for feeding? What would be the best option handling them if they eat so much?(time wise)

Due to the fact that they don't like handling after they have been fed. Cause its a time period of 48hrs mainly. When should I handle them then?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Houghie

Thank you very much. So every 3 days you say for feeding? What would be the best option handling them if they eat so much?(time wise)

Due to the fact that they don't like handling after they have been fed. Cause its a time period of 48hrs mainly. When should I handle them then?

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For at least the first year when they are hatchlings yes, you can handle the day after feeding without any issue.

Once they reach 1 year every 5 days feeding schedule works great than once my males get to 125 grams and females get to 200/250 I only feed once a week.

Just to chime in, I have been bitten by hatchlings, but they're so tiny that it did no damage whatsoever. Kinda tickled. Didn't hurt, or even break skin. It's probably more of a conern when they're bigger, but as long as I remember to wash my hands after handling my rodents it shouldn't be an issue. I forgot a few times and that's the only reason I got bit.

Definitely listen to Deborah when it comes to their care. She has a lot of experience with them and the information she's posted here in regards to them has helped me care for my own collection. My yearling girl-- well, I keep calling her that but she's not quite a year old yet. I think she was born sometime in May-- already weighs about 70g empty. They really are eating machines and she's grown like a weed since I got her. I just recently moved from twice a week feedings to every five days. She'd probably eat a mouse every other day if I let her, but I figure it's time for her to slow down.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m%2F1zbqyb.jpg
*this was taken months ago, so she's actually bigger now

As for being messy, they poop pretty often. But it's no more messy than when any other snake poops. Hope that helps!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by the_rotten1

Just to chime in, I have been bitten by hatchlings, but they're so tiny that it did no damage whatsoever. Kinda tickled. Didn't hurt, or even break skin. It's probably more of a conern when they're bigger, but as long as I remember to wash my hands after handling my rodents it shouldn't be an issue. I forgot a few times and that's the only reason I got bit.

Definitely listen to Deborah when it comes to their care. She has a lot of experience with them and the information she's posted here in regards to them has helped me care for my own collection. My yearling girl-- well, I keep calling her that but she's not quite a year old yet. I think she was born sometime in May-- already weighs about 70g empty. They really are eating machines and she's grown like a weed since I got her. I just recently moved from twice a week feedings to every five days. She'd probably eat a mouse every other day if I let her, but I figure it's time for her to slow down.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m%2F1zbqyb.jpg
*this was taken months ago, so she's actually bigger now

As for being messy, they poop pretty often. But it's no more messy than when any other snake poops. Hope that helps!

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Thank You for the advise, and that a really nice hoggie!

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

For at least the first year when they are hatchlings yes, you can handle the day after feeding without any issue.

Once they reach 1 year every 5 days feeding schedule works great than once my males get to 125 grams and females get to 200/250 I only feed once a week.

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As soon as I get a hoggie, Ill do so, thank you Deborah!

I personally have no experience with keeping hognose snakes. I do have a Cali King and 2 corns though and I absolutely love them. My king is about 1.5 year old male who was said to be a bit nippy before I took him home, but he has never nipped at me or my girlfriend once. Prior to bringing him home, my girlfriend was basically "afraid" of snakes, but she now holds him pretty often and absolutely loves him. He is a bit of an explorer, but he also loves to get settled and just relax around my neck, around my forearm/wrist area or occasionally on my lap. My corns are only a few months old, so they are always in explore mode when out of their enclosure. I'm sure they will slow down a bit with age, as most seem to do. Despite their adventurous behavior they are absolute sweethearts. If it was up to me, my vote would go to the king.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I personally have no experience with keeping hognose snakes. I do have a Cali King and 2 corns though and I absolutely love them. My king is about 1.5 year old male who was said to be a bit nippy before I took him home, but he has never nipped at me or my girlfriend once. Prior to bringing him home, my girlfriend was basically "afraid" of snakes, but she now holds him pretty often and absolutely loves him. He is a bit of an explorer, but he also loves to get settled and just relax around my neck, around my forearm/wrist area or occasionally on my lap. My corns are only a few months old, so they are always in explore mode when out of their enclosure. I'm sure they will slow down a bit with age, as most seem to do. Despite their adventurous behavior they are absolute sweethearts. If it was up to me, my vote would go to the king.

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Its so hard, I basically love everything. kings,corns,hoggies,pythons,boas etc. But maybe I'll make up my mind once I've seen them.

I see that you're in Africa. Do you have local access to each of the breeds you are considering? International shipping would probably be expensive and would probably be a huge factor in me making a decision

Quote:

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I see that you're in Africa. Do you have local access to each of the breeds you are considering? International shipping would probably be expensive and would probably be a huge factor in me making a decision

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Thats the problem. We do have another reptile show in Joburg in May, so then I will have to see what they have available. Because in reptile stores here we only get boa's, BP and corns. Dp you know of any site that do ship international? I would just like to have a look.

Well the picture tells its own tale !

Scary :)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9e2548ed91.jpg


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Unfortunately I do not know about who will ship internationally. I always like to see what I'm buying before I buy. I am a firm believer that different animals have different personalities, therefor they match up with different people who have different personalities and want different things in pets. I always spend some time with an animal before buying to see if we "match". So far, 4 snakes and 4 ferrets later, it works for me, and the animals all seem happy with the home I've provided. Maybe your best bet is to go to the show in May, see what's there. Maybe you'll find a great snake for you and what you want. Maybe not and the search continues. Most breeds will be around for a long time though, so take your time and find the right animal for you.