Does anyone own Easterns?

[CTReptileRescue]

I know a great friend of mine here in the state keeps and has bred the beloved Westerns, I wasn’t sure if Easterns were big on the market these days. I do know that their numbers are depleting here in CT:

From the CT DEP website:

The hognose snake's center of distribution in Connecticut is the extensive glacial sand and gravel deposits that span the central portions of the eastern and western hills. It has been found up to 1,200 feet. In the Central Connecticut Lowland and coastal zone, there are far more historical records than recent sightings, indicating that this species has declined in this more intensely developed part of the state. Hognose snakes appear to occur at very low population levels when compared with other snakes. Declines of hognose snakes have been reported along the entire northern limit of their range, from New England westward to Michigan. The hognose is a "Special Concern" species in Connecticut, and under the Connecticut Code (Sec. 26-55-3-E) possession is limited to a single specimen.

I've actually only come across one specimen through field herping


Does anyone keep this particular species? Just wondering I loved the find but being a rescue agent I personally don’t wild catch (I was surprised to know that I could grab one from the wild if I wanted too...just hard to find around here)..
But a beautiful animal (I think) and I wasn’t sure if anyone knew of any captive breeders, or if they are even that popular..
Thanks
Rusty
PS sorry to the mods, wasn’t really sure where to put this thread, either Field herping or here (so please feel free to move it if needed).

[Lucas339]

i personally don't but the guy i got my westerns from used to breed easterns. they have some really nice colors on them. he had orange ones and some with like purple markings. he sold all of his collection for heath reasons.

from what he and others have told me, they need to be fed on frogs. they can be fed rodents but it significantly shortens their life span. i think it has something to do with their kidneys not being able to process the rodents.

i would like to get into them but i want to be able to start breeding feeder frogs first.

[Adam_S]

Nice pic Easterns are awesome! I've heard the same concerns that you mentioned: they're protected in much of their natural range and feed almost exclusively on amphibians, which makes them an inconvienient captive. Therefore they're less popular, but people love and keep them. Great find! Adam

[southb]

I've had one wild caught and he looked nothing like that. I miss him though, he wouldn't eat so I released him. Very pretty animal.

[CTReptileRescue]

I've had one wild caught and he looked nothing like that. I miss him though, he wouldn't eat so I released him. Very pretty animal.

I can only imagine that there are different colorations. (actually there are) I am very happy to hear that you released it since it wasn't eating.
Rusty

[mainbutter]

They are fairly uncommon to find in the pet trade, even here in the US.. I have to imagine they don't really exist abroad simply because of dietary concerns, but I could be wrong.

[ncbloods]

If memory serves FastDad keeps some.