hoggie q's

[tsdsbd]

i was thinkin about getting a hoggie in the near future (a couple of months) and just had a few questions. i just want to clarify their toxicity and aggresion. also a 10 gal. tank is sufficient pretty much for life yes? and what are temps and humidity?

[mainbutter]

Aggression:

Very non-existant. 99.9% of defensive strikes, on the rare occasions they do happen, from a hoggie are in fact close-mouthed.
They don't bite in defense because it's pretty ineffective on real predators, this is pretty interesting when they do it though:
YouTube - Hognose snake playing dead

Toxicity:
http://www.herpnet.net/bite/
http://www.cuttingedgeherp.com/nss-f...tures/MexF.jpg

For cage size/temps hit up a few care sheets, I'm no expert on their care, but they're generic NA colubirds.. 10-20 gal should be fine, use bedding they can burrow in, a bit above room temp for a warm spot (80 degrees?). Brumation is not necessary, but is often done by serious breeders. Humidity is a non-issue unless it's really humid where you live, they typically live in dry climates.

[Stalker Jesus]

That video! I want one now.

[Lolo76]

Toxic? Only if you're a toad. Aggressive? Rarely if ever! Seriously, I love my hognose girl, and would recommend the species to nearly anyone. They're easy to care for, and usually have very nice temperaments... some can get hissy and defensive in their enclosures, but typically mellow out in your hands. And to expand on the toxicity issue, they are rear-fanged and only mildly venomous to humans. In order to get bitten you'd have to be far down their throat, and it's rare for us to be harmed by their venom.

As for husbandry, I keep mine a little warm since she shares a rack with my pythons - around 75 ambient (it's cold here!) and 85-90 on the hot spot. She doesn't seem to mind the extra heat, but I pull her tub slightly out so it's not completely over the flexwatt. A 10gal should do fine for life, unless it is a particularly big hognose... I keep Charlotte in a 6qt tub, but she's only 7 months old, so I'll eventually move her into a 15qt (comparable to a 10gal tank). Oh, and they do like to burrow, so provide a deep loose substrate of your choice. All in all I find it to be a hearty & fun snake, and who could possibly resist this face??