Western hognoses are good for Hognose beginners, but I would not recommend a Hognose for someone to has never kept a snake, and definitely not for someone who has never had a reptile before. Search through the forum and you'll see just how difficult it can be to keep a Hognose eating. There is a dangerous fine line between determining what is normal behavior for a Hognose, and what represents a pathogenic condition that requires veterinary care. Some of the techniques required to get a Hognose to eat go beyond the means of most people who are not experienced with snake captive care. It would be easier to start off with a snake that is notorious for being easy to keep such as a corn snake. I know of many people who have heads corn snake's that have never refused a meal. Remember, we are talking about the lives of animals that are completely dependent upon you for their every single need. Don't feel rushed to get the coolest snake out there, start off small and work your way up.
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...the oldest task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it."
Aldo Leopold (1938)

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

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• What do these guys eat? - herpheart13, Tue Jun 22 16:55:12 2004
• Negative - Colchicine, Tue Jun 22 18:29:03 2004
• Hognoses - herpheart13, Tue Jun 22 20:18:36 2004
• RE: Hognoses - treeboa, Tue Jun 22 21:46:35 2004
• Not for beginners - Colchicine, Tue Jun 22 22:27:33 2004
• My experience with reptiles - herpheart13, Wed Jun 23 12:01:53 2004
• RE: My experience with reptiles - treeboa, Wed Jun 23 12:56:13 2004
• RE: My experience with reptiles - snakeguy88, Wed Jun 23 13:31:21 2004
• RE: My experience with reptiles - Colchicine, Wed Jun 23 14:07:01 2004
• RE: Please give me some references..... - hevychevy427, Wed Jun 23 22:16:40 2004
• RE: Please give me some references..... - herpheart13, Sat Jun 26 12:38:15 2004