Quote Originally Posted by anendeloflorien View Post
Huh, that's pretty cool! Now have they actually been able to tell whether those are true venom injecting fangs? I just got my first hoggies today and I'm absolutely loving them. I wonder if there's going to be more studies done on the hognoses comparing wild ones to the CB ones we keep to truly determine whether or not their "venom" is more potent based upon what they eat or if it's generally the same in WC compared to CB ones.
They are not venom injecting fangs per se. The venom enters the prey via a chewing action.

Their venom has nothing to do with the prey they eat. Their venom is not made of any alkaloid components - which are the main toxins in the amphibians that make up a part of their diet. Studies on heterodon venom have revealed that it is comprised of standard snake toxin families.

Hoggies make their venom in dedicated protein secreting glands - totally different toxin types and production mechanisms.

Keep in mind that there is a distinction between the compounds used by animals and plants as chemical defenses against ingestion by a predator (toads/frogs). These are simple chemical compounds which is in contrast to the more specific and complex multi-protein venoms utilized by snakes.