FR wrote:

***"I am not sure I agree with you. One thing thats seems common is the anti commerical aspect thats seen. I find that odd."***



I am not sure what you are finding odd. I am not sure me or anyone else understands what you mean. What anit commercial aspect ae you seeing?



FR wrote:

***"First off, your country is all about being commerical. Theres nothing wrong with that. If folks can make money doing something like this, then great. That should not get in the way or hinder anyone. If those are the folks that you do not want to have conversations with, then don't."***



First off, Troy is a United States citizen just like you and me. In fact Troy served OUR Country. It is not about not wanting to deal with people who want to make money at this. All of breeding hogs are making money doing it. Obviously, if we are breeding them successfully and keeping then alive and healthy we are doing it for more than just the money. We obviously love the species. In fact, anyone can keep a hognose alive in captivity but it does take a level of commitment to breed them and raise the hatchlings. So, I am not sure where you are going with that last paragraph.



FR wrote:

***"But there has to be many folks that love reptiles and hogs, just because they are what they are. I am sure there are lots of those."***



Indeed, and you happen to be conversing with a few in this very thread.



FR wrote:

***"About sharing information, what is there to share? If what I read these days is whats being done, well there is no fun in keeping hogs, the only reward is what morphs are produced."***



There is a lot of inforation to be shared. These are not corn snakes or king snakes. Their care is different. Their behavior is different. They are unlike all other North American colubrids.



FR wrote:

***"I outlook on hogs stems from them in the field. In the field, they are very interesting in their behavior. Its intriquing to study their movements and behavior. In otherwords, what they do."***



It is great that you get to see what they do "in the field" but this is CAPTIVITY and we are talk about captive bred animals for the most part.



FR wrote:

***"In a shoebox, they do nothing, in nature, every minute they make decisions on what to do. In captivity, everything is done for them, and they must fit what they are told to do. Not much to share there."***



What are you basing this on exactly? Is it your extensive experience keeping these snakes PROPERLY in captivity? If you keep hognose snakes in same manner as you would a corn or king, you might not see much activity. However, if you keep them the way hogs are supposed to be kept, they do much more than nothing. They will constantly thermoregulate and actively hunt when hungry. Sure, their lives are much easier in captivity because they do not have to capture struggling prey or avoid predators but surely that does not mean they do nothing.



As far as them doing what they are "told" to do, it is not different in the wild than it is in captivity. It is not about them making decisions. It is about them reacting ot external pressures.



FR wrote:

***"This recipe keeping is what takes the fun out of snakes, and makes them collectables. Like collecting baseball cards, you know, I have one of those, its in this drawer, wait, not that drawer, this one over here. Hmmmmmmm dang it, where did I put anaconda. oh well, I will find it later."***



What, you mean like your recipe for keeping varanids? Lets face it Frank, what you do with varanids is no different from what snake keepers do. Sure, there are things that varanids need in captivity that many keepers are incapable of providing or are just too lazy to do so. The husbandry might be more in depth but they have a recipe or recipes all the same. Hognose snakes need a bit more attention than most other commonly kept snake species.



FR wrote:

***"Don't get me wrong, i love morphs, if I was to find one of those candy snakes in the field, I would grab it and run, sometimes in circles, then strait for a while, then back to circles, just run. Why, got me! but I would."***



Morphs are just a bonus and a way to kick start a species propagation in captivity. That is no secret.



FR wrote:

***"There just so dang pretty. So I ask, why keep pretty things that you don't see? thats my question."***



Who says we do not see them? I for one see my snakes every day. I spend an hour or 2 each day in the snake room and even longer on feeding and cleaning days. I think your "question" is more of an assumption and not an actual question at all. Seems like you already have your own idea on the hognose hobby.



FR wrote:

***"So I can see not having much to talk about. But you could show pics. Pics are always good. Thanks"***



If that is how you feel, why are you postin here? Maybe you can share some pics and info from "the field" and we can share our info on captive husbandry with you so you can properly and successfully keep and breed them. Sounds like a good trade off to me. What do ya say?

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