Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently bought an eastern hognose female at a reptile show. She has been eating scented pinks fine, but a few people have told me that if she isn't fed frogs or toads, she will not live long, is this true? Up to this point, the only hognose species that I have kept is Westerns so any input on the importance of toads/ frogs to easterns would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Christy

Look at my pictures below. I have 3 Easterns and they have never eaten a toad in my care. Alot of people will argue against this. I'm not an expert so I'll just have to see. I have not had an eastern since I was a kid and caught them in Texas. Those wc ones would always eat just toads. There are a surplus of toads in Houston.
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0.1 Rubber Boa
1.0 Eastern Hognose 2003 super red
0.2 Eastern Hognose Snakes
3.3 Western Hognose Snakes
1.0 Durango Mountain Kingsnake
1.1 Woma's (new!)
Spadefoot
Black Knobbed Sawback
Northern Diamondback
Florida Redbellied Slider
Western Painted
Southern Painted
1.0 African Hedgehog
1.0 Sulcata

1 Pleco
2 Silver Dollars
3 Bosemian Rainbows
1 Cory Cat
1 Upside Down Catfish
2.0 Fire Guramis

uhh... I think that is it.

Colchicine has had some that have been fed only rodents for a long time. Many people will feed a hognose a mouse and when the snake dies a few days later, they blame it on the mouse/fatty liver disease/impaction from fur. It is quite improbable the mouse had anything to do with it. Fact is, most of the easterns that die from not being fed frogs or toads are some of those easterns that are pulled out of the wild and refuse to eat. I have had some flatly refuse all food in captivity, at which point they go promptly back to where they came from. But there really is no true evidence to support the claim that hognose need only amphibians. Andy
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Burgundy baby, With your blue eyed soul, You play the hits and I'm on that roll, Capricorn sister, Freddie Mercury, Jupiter Child cry

Keep letting it pound those pinkies!!
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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)

How is the surf out there right now?
I just scored some killer barrels in Oceanside this morning. Got worked a few times.

Humbling.
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0.1 Rubber Boa
1.0 Eastern Hognose 2003 super red
0.2 Eastern Hognose Snakes
3.3 Western Hognose Snakes
1.0 Durango Mountain Kingsnake
1.1 Woma's (new!)
Spadefoot
Black Knobbed Sawback
Northern Diamondback
Florida Redbellied Slider
Western Painted
Southern Painted
1.0 African Hedgehog
1.0 Sulcata

1 Pleco
2 Silver Dollars
3 Bosemian Rainbows
1 Cory Cat
1 Upside Down Catfish
2.0 Fire Guramis

uhh... I think that is it.

Choppy as of yesterday. The southeast winds picked back up yesterday and the surf was supposed to build today, but I havn't checked. Thanksgiving was chest high, barrelling, and not bad temperature-wise. I was down yesterday, tides were 3 ft below normal. My normal fishing spot was about 1.5 ft deep at high tide, which I assumed was low tide, but then low tide came and my fishing spot was in 4 inches of water. Needless to say, no fish. It should be getting better and hopefully the redfish will still be running this weekend. Andy
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Burgundy baby, With your blue eyed soul, You play the hits and I'm on that roll, Capricorn sister, Freddie Mercury, Jupiter Child cry

are you talking about the big boys?
Where is it that you fish?
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0.1 Rubber Boa
1.0 Eastern Hognose 2003 super red
0.2 Eastern Hognose Snakes
3.3 Western Hognose Snakes
1.0 Durango Mountain Kingsnake
1.1 Woma's (new!)
Spadefoot
Black Knobbed Sawback
Northern Diamondback
Florida Redbellied Slider
Western Painted
Southern Painted
1.0 African Hedgehog
1.0 Sulcata

1 Pleco
2 Silver Dollars
3 Bosemian Rainbows
1 Cory Cat
1 Upside Down Catfish
2.0 Fire Guramis

uhh... I think that is it.

My so called "secret spot" is a drainage marsh near the levee where we get some nice reds and flounder. Our back up spot is the bay near San Luis. Great for flounder. Some good spots for flounder along the levee too. Andy
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Burgundy baby, With your blue eyed soul, You play the hits and I'm on that roll, Capricorn sister, Freddie Mercury, Jupiter Child cry

Are you talking about the cold pass area?
How were the car bodies this summer? and bird island?
Is Christmas bay any good right now?
Man I want to get into some specks and reds and flounders. Seawolf park is probably kicking right now.

My old roommate is a guide in Port O'Connor. He says they are slamming them right now.

Rudy
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0.1 Rubber Boa
1.0 Eastern Hognose 2003 super red
0.2 Eastern Hognose Snakes
3.3 Western Hognose Snakes
1.0 Durango Mountain Kingsnake
1.1 Woma's (new!)
Spadefoot
Black Knobbed Sawback
Northern Diamondback
Florida Redbellied Slider
Western Painted
Southern Painted
1.0 African Hedgehog
1.0 Sulcata

1 Pleco
2 Silver Dollars
3 Bosemian Rainbows
1 Cory Cat
1 Upside Down Catfish
2.0 Fire Guramis

uhh... I think that is it.

Tybbe Island off the coast of Ga has some nice reds especially when they run in October. I have a pucture of a nice red caught off the tybee island pier. will show it to you sometime.

john

Yea, I think near cold pass. I havn't fished to many spots. We normally just swim out for sharks, fish san luis, fish the area near cold pass, or my normal marsh spot. Christmas was supposedly pretty good. I think we are going to hit up the jetty. The bulls were running last week and hopefully will keep up. I just picked up a new shimano corsair reel today for some red or flounder fishing. I hope to bust out the big gear like my jigmaster though and get some nice big fish. Andy
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Burgundy baby, With your blue eyed soul, You play the hits and I'm on that roll, Capricorn sister, Freddie Mercury, Jupiter Child cry

If you go over to Quintana and drive to the beach. Hang a right on the beach and get to the river. That is a good area for bull reds.

Rudy
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0.1 Rubber Boa
1.0 Eastern Hognose 2003 super red
0.2 Eastern Hognose Snakes
3.3 Western Hognose Snakes
1.0 Durango Mountain Kingsnake
1.1 Woma's (new!)
Spadefoot
Black Knobbed Sawback
Northern Diamondback
Florida Redbellied Slider
Western Painted
Southern Painted
1.0 African Hedgehog
1.0 Sulcata

1 Pleco
2 Silver Dollars
3 Bosemian Rainbows
1 Cory Cat
1 Upside Down Catfish
2.0 Fire Guramis

uhh... I think that is it.

Mouth of the Brazos eh? I have been planning on going out there a lot, just never have the right people with me. I have hear the currents are like San Luis, pretty dangerous, so I want my friends that can swim well out there with me. I will def. see if its good when we head down there. I will email you if I catch anything good and where it was. Andy
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Andy Maddox
AIM: SurfAndSkimTx04
MSN: Poloboy32486@hotmail.com
Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

Burgundy baby, With your blue eyed soul, You play the hits and I'm on that roll, Capricorn sister, Freddie Mercury, Jupiter Child cry

Ohhhh
I was assuming you had a boat. That mouth of the brazos is full of current as is San Luis pass. I always used a life Jacket tied to my belt loop when hitting the sandbars. I used a 10" rope. The reason why I didn't WEAR the life jacket is because when the waves come in, a lifejacket (that is worn) will float you right off of the sandbar. Tough self-learned lesson.
Try the "car bodies" just around the corner from San Luis Pass right at the first bulkhead west, in the Gulf.
I take a mirrolure and snag a mullet in the back. Then I take the mullet and cut it into chunks. Put it on a big hook then wade back out and sling that sucker. Always worked for me there.

Rudy
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0.1 Rubber Boa
1.0 Eastern Hognose 2003 super red
0.2 Eastern Hognose Snakes
3.3 Western Hognose Snakes
1.0 Durango Mountain Kingsnake
1.1 Woma's (new!)
Spadefoot
Black Knobbed Sawback
Northern Diamondback
Florida Redbellied Slider
Western Painted
Southern Painted
1.0 African Hedgehog
1.0 Sulcata

1 Pleco
2 Silver Dollars
3 Bosemian Rainbows
1 Cory Cat
1 Upside Down Catfish
2.0 Fire Guramis

uhh... I think that is it.

Christy, toads and frogs are the choice food for Eastern hognose. They are specialized predators. They don't die overnight on a diet of rodents, but it can be detrimental to their health. If you decide to feed your snake rodents, make sure they are hairless. Better yet, if you live in an area where you can regularly acquire toads, supplement a hairless rodent diet with toads and/or frogs. An exclusive diet of toads and frogs would be better, but it takes a lot of amphibian food items to satisfy their metabolic requirements. Continuous access to amphibians is a problem for most keepers. Eastern hognose will develop significant problems if fed a diet of adult mice. Hair accumulation in their small intestine WILL prove to be fatal after a few years if adult mice are the only food offered. I hope that helps. Shane