Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been a lizard man until now and I want to venture into snakes. I want a good beginner snake and like the hognoses alot but also like some of the color morphs of the kingsnakes. I am looking at some high white cal kings and normal hogs. Any input as to which is better for a first timer would be appreciated. I would like to get into breeding down the road so this is a consideration as well. Which would be easier to breed. Thanks for any info you can give me.

I have never recommended a hognose for a beginner, although your experience with lizards should help. The problem is that hognoses typically go off feed at practically random times of the year. You have to be knowledgeable enough to be able to tell the difference between "winter lethargy" and disease. You also have to be very familiar with the numerous tricks it may take to get a hognose to eat again, most of them are not for the squeamish.

And as a side note, what makes hognoses so unique is their behavior. I think it would be better to start out with some of the other snakes so that later on down the road when you do get a hognose, you will appreciate them that much more.
-----
...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)

why not both..lol. i started with a king and just got a w hognose about a month ago. the king was actually more difficult to feed than the hog, but it wasn't that hard to fix. in reality, i don't feel there is that much difference in keeping them, other than the feeding. the hognose stay smaller, so that is one consideration. i'm not sure on breeding as i have never done it but everything i've read seemed about the same for both. i guess it depends on your size considerations and which pattern you like better.