Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What is a good snake for a newbie to get. I have kept lizards for a couple of years now looking to get my first snake in a few months i read hognoses were a good choice but the fangs put me off ..

Im no hognose expert, but I think the fangs are so far back in the mouth, you have to really stick your finger in there. I caught a wild one at my ranch and let it go after a few minutes. It only bit me once, nothing happened, no fangs got me or I did not notice them.

just saw this on the internet, maybe your right about bites and I got lucky, heres the link....
Link

The link documents an individual who allowed a western hognose to chew his finger for a prolonged length of time. Apparently he did this to see what would happen. The bite was a feeding response - i.e., the snake thought the finger was a food item. The individual showed a pronounced reaction to the envenomation. This was likely due at least in part to the extended time the snake was allowed to chew. The individual could also be sensitive to hognose venom, or have had an allergic response.

Normally, hoggies will not bite humans. Their initial defensive response is to bluff-strike, without actually making contact. If one is clumsy enough to get in front of a bluff-strike one might get accidentally bit. However, the snake will instantly let go. This actually happened to me. I got fanged in the finger. The effect was like a mild spider bite - slight tingling, itching, and redness. It was not painful, and there were no lasting effects.

Most captive hoggies soon lose their defensive behavior, and are quite inoffensive. As captives they are one of the most docile species, and have a loyal following among snake enthusiasts.

For more insight visit the Hognose Forum on this website.

If you are still put off by the thought of working with a mildly venomous yet harmless snake, consider other species, such as cornsnakes, kingsnakes, ball pythons, etc., all of which have forums on this website.

Regards,

John D.

Hognose Forum

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I am so not lesdysxic!

0.1 Creamsicle Cornsake "Yolanda"
1.0 Bairds Ratsnake "Steely Dan"
0.1 Desert Kingsnake "FATTY"

I keep 4 different species of hognose (CB and WC) and have never been bitten. I have had them since I was in 2nd grade, and have zero qualms about letting my children hold them. The whole "venom" issue in hognoses is still up for debate. Do their fangs really inject venom? Or are they more of a tool to deflate the toads they eat? Do they actually produce "venom" or is it bacteria in their saliva? Not enough study has been done to state that they are venomous. There are lots of theories, but little scientific papers. I have heard of one individual that had a reaction to a rat snake bite. It is all a matter of a persons sensitivity(or stupidity to let one chew on you long enough to get a real bite).
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Jenea

2:3 Tricolor Hognose
2:1 Eastern Hognose
1:2 Western Hognose
2:2 Southern Hognose
0:0:2 Florida Redbelly Snakes
0:1 Gulf Coast Box Turtle
1:1 Red-eared Slider
1:2:2 Mediterranean Geckos
2:0 Cats
1:1 Kids
1:0 Spouse

Heterodon species are true opisthoglyphs, harboring a complex venom and venom gland, formerly referred to as the Duvernoy’s gland. They do not harbor a toxic saliva. While Joe Monohan did incur some reaction to the venom, as has been mentioned, this was s staged episode and Joe had to coerce the snake into biting him, by scenting his finger with a toad and allowing it to “chew” on his finger for an extended period of time.
While most native Heterodon spp. prefer to flee or feign death as defensive actions, they will bite if molested and the latter two defenses indicated do not work.
While it would be very unlikely to incur an envenomation from a defensive bite, one should be cautious when handling a newly wild caught or unknown specimen, as each individuals immune system handles the introduction of a foreign protein into the body differently, as most of us will simply say a few choice words and remove the stinger from a bee sting, while such can bring about a medically significant anaphylactic reaction in others.
Personally, I have found native Heterodon spp. to be quite docile, once acclimated to captivity, and a joy to work with and I too would harbor no worries regarding my child handling a captive specimen…

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

I too would recommend a captive produced corn snake as a first. should you want something a bit different, since most folks appear to have started with corns, I would recommend one of teh African house snakes, as they are often over looked, quite easy to care for and make hardy captives...

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

I recommend a Common Kingsbake (L. getula) - California Kingsnakes seem to be particularly popular and inexpensive. Desert kings (splendida) are also inexpensive.
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3.0 WC; 0.1 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 CB L. pyromelana pyromelana
0.1 WC; 10 eggs (7/11) Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

Corn snakes are good starters. Easy to handle, not too big, good tempered, and rarely give trouble in the eating department. Of course, I may be somewhat biased!

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0.0.1 Normal corn snake (Frito)
0.0.1 Creamsicle corn (Tang)
0.0.1 Ghost corn (Raynham)
1.1 Bay of LA rosy boas (Rivet and Cali)

In my opinion, corn snakes are a great starter snake. They are hardy and get very tame. However, a kingsnake or ball python wouldn't be bad choices either. The only problem with the ball pythons is that you have to be sure it is captive bred and feeding (preferably you should get your snake from a reputable breeder). Ball Pythons are also slower in there movements, baby corns and kings, in my experience, are a little faster and squirmier at a young age. Regardless of what species you choose, good luck with your snake!
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1.0 Hypo Tang Leopard Gecko
0.1 Normal Leopard Gecko
0.1 SHTCT Baldy Leopard Gecko
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Hypo Leopard Geckos
1.0 African Fat Tailed Gecko
1.1 Crested Geckos
0.1 California Kingsnake
1.1 Cornsnakes
1.0 Ball Python
0.1 Chilean Rose Tarantula

Thanks alot for the info considering getting a corn now,what are they like as youngsters are they nippy and bitey etc.

Young corns are less prone to being nippy and bitey than young snakes of other species, but they can nip if they are in a bad mood. Mine have only gotten aggressive when it's feeding time, they get very excited! Young cornsnakes can be handled fairly easily, but are sometimes fast and squirmy when first taken out of the cage. Most typically calm down after gentle handling, and grow into easily handled adults. Feel free to ask any more questions! -The Gecko Freak
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1.0 Hypo Tang Leopard Gecko
0.1 Normal Leopard Gecko
0.1 SHTCT Baldy Leopard Gecko
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko
0.0.3 Hypo Leopard Geckos
1.0 African Fat Tailed Gecko
1.1 Crested Geckos
0.1 California Kingsnake
1.1 Cornsnakes
1.0 Ball Python

i agree with the corn,king and BP's whenever this Q comes up,however nobody seems to consider a black milksnake.they are in my opinion as bullet prove as a snake gets and would make a great first snake.

they are very calm,easy feeders and need minimal housing requirements plus they turm from beautiful tri colors to jet black,how kool is that? have fun! TWH