Tell me everything you know about Hognose snakes...

[spk329]

Check this link out......Safe with the kids?

http://www.herpnet.net/bite/

[wilomn]

Check this link out......Safe with the kids?

http://www.herpnet.net/bite/

You do realize that the idiot from that article let the snake CHEW on him for 3 to 5 minutes.

Don't you?

If you want to sight stupid people as a source of good information you will not look too good yourself.

Would you let a bee sting you for five minutes just to see what happened? How about a fire ant? Maybe use a magnifying glass on your finger to see what the results would be.

I've got a couple of big females that are like Sandworms from Dune, always with mouths open ready to chomp until you take them out and they calm down and close their gaping maws. Were one of those to nail me when expecting food and to then be allowed to continue to excrete venom into me for 5 bloody minutes then I'm sure I too would have an adverse reaction.

Duh

However, I've never been bitten, in many years of keeping, by a western hognose.

[LostNFound]

i had a worse reaction to a cat bite that lasted 2 secs

[anatess]

My source of information was all the things I gathered off the internet which may/may not be accurate. That's why I'm asking you guys.

What about the other stuff? Especially feeding? I found out the hognose my husband is interested in is a Western hognose.

I also found somewhere on the internet that you can keep 2 hognose snakes in a 20 gallon tank or 3 in a 30 gallon tank. So, I'm beginning to wonder if these guys live in social groups?

[wilomn]

I've kept and bred them in groups for many years. I've kept them alone for just as long.

Both ways work fine but I'd recommend keeping them solo until you get some experience with them.

They're great snakes.

[anatess]

Do you know if they'll eat any kind of rodent?
I have an ASF colony for my bp... will they eat that? Do you have to pre-kill the rodent? Can they live solely on rodent and nothing else or will they need supplemental toads or something?
Sorry for the million questions...

[wilomn]

I don't keep ASFs so I have no clue about their acceptability to hognoses.

I've only kept westerns and they will eat mice or rats of appropriate size. I have never had one that I needed to feed frogs or toads or lizards to.

I have not kept any other species of hognose. Some of those I have not kept need amphibians.

[Shadowoutcastoflove]

I've played with this snake ever since I grow up it was like the main Snake. I never had a pet snake I like to find them in the wild and study them for a bit. they are fun and they are harmless though when mad they look like a Cobra. it's a bit freaky not a whole lot though. I find them to be a wonderful snake if I could have one as a pet I would. the one I have with me now is from the wild and it was mad that me because well I found it playing died and I bury dead things. and it was alive so I did not bury it. I normally go around my house and look for dead things. because I never know what will be in my yard. the Hognose was a weird snake to find in my yard playing died. I see it as a peaceful snake I'm not really worries about them. though I took care of Geckos I have not taken care of a snake. I feel they are not hard is I can make a gecko happy I can make a snake happy. Though I may be wrong. but I don't mind that I am because I'm only almost 17 and I have played with poisonous snakes and animals though I don't worry about my safe when I do. I like to think of it as a happy time for me to do my studies. You all seem very nice about it and thank you for the help. I knew it was a rarity to be bitten by one of them. it's not like the eastern water snake they are evil and mean. I've done a lot of things with snakes. and I think I find the hognose to be one of the best snakes out there. in fact I see them as more friendly then most snakes. they never seem to bit me no matter how many times I try to get them to they will not bit me. the water snake and Gardener snake do. the rat snake did not the poisonous one I had for a time could not it had no fangs yet. or something I don't know. but I've been really lucky. I love snakes I just love to learn about them and love to study them. I find animals fun. my father was a biologist by the way. it's not fun until I can see it is fun from my view. thank you all. Have fun.