Actually, they don't have a "venom" per say.....more of a toxic saliva. The severity of the salica varies from person to person. If you are allergic to things like bee stings, etc. you run the risk of having a bad reaction to the saliva. Westerns are really docile and usually uninclined to bite. Mine has bitten me once, but I smelled like a mouse so it was my mistake. I had no reaction whatsoever to the bite....other than blood, lol.
Ahhhhh....I've heard several different sources calling them "venomous"...usually with a "mildly" attached to it. But one news article about stolen snakes from a pet store noted that one of the missing animals was the "Dangeously venomous Western Hognose..." I laughed my tushie off at that one!
Do you have AIM on and some time to talk about beardies right now?
well in a sense, all snake venom is just toxic saliva. hognoses are usually refered to as mildly venomous. they are rear fanged and have glands and ducts just like any other venomous snake.
well in a sense, all snake venom is just toxic saliva. hognoses are usually refered to as mildly venomous. they are rear fanged and have glands and ducts just like any other venomous snake.
While the Hognoses do have the Duvernoy's glands, they are not connected with their enlarged back teeth. They do not deliver venom like a Rattler would but instead it is supposed that their large back teeth and slightly toxic saliva is more attuned to their diet in the wild.....which consists mostly of toads. The westerns do not rely as much on a Saurian diet and therefore adapt much better to captivity. Unlike the Easterns, they can thrive on a rodent-only diet.
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Originally Posted by Mike