Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am new to this forum. I have a crimson corn and would like to obtain a tri-colored hognose. Got snake? Thanks, Jon in Ky

Is a corn snake the only other snake you have? Tri-colored hogs are not just a morph of a western but a more difficult species. I personally have no experience with any hogs but westerns but I think they are not an easy species to keep. I rarely see them except for the ocassional one at the NARBC. You might want to check with West Texas.

Hey Jon, what part of KY are you in? Tri-coloreds are an awesome snake. I have a pair that I will hopefully reproduce next season. Not a very difficult snake to keep. Keep them in the lower 80's, with a deep slightly moist substrate (cypress mulch). These guys are fossorial meaning they tend to stay underground. Email me if you have any other questions. Trace.Hardin@murraystate.edu
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1.0 snow corn snake '02
0.1 butter corn snake '02
0.1 hi-red corn snake '02
0.1 CB KY locality corn snake '02
1.1 Texas Baird's rat snake '00
0.1 black rat snake '03
1.1 Het for albino and albino radiated rat snake '02&'03
1.1 tri-color hognose snake '03
1.1 albino striped Cal king snake '01
0.1 black king snake '01
1.1 black milk snake '01&'02
1.1 pueblan milk snake '03
0.1 red milk snake '02
1.1 African house snake '03

I am in Lexington. I assume that you are in Murray by your enail address. Jon

Yeah, I go to school in Murray. I am either there or in Louisville. Do you ever go to the KY reptile show in Shelbyville? The guy that runs it has a tri-colored hog I sold him, he might sell it if you're interested.
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1.0 snow corn snake '02
0.1 butter corn snake '02
0.1 hi-red corn snake '02
0.1 CB KY locality corn snake '02
1.1 Texas Baird's rat snake '00
0.1 black rat snake '03
1.1 Het for albino and albino radiated rat snake '02&'03
1.1 tri-color hognose snake '03
1.1 albino striped Cal king snake '01
0.1 black king snake '01
1.1 black milk snake '01&'02
1.1 pueblan milk snake '03
0.1 red milk snake '02
1.1 African house snake '03

I went to the last show and was disappointed.There just was not that many snake available, Good prices tho. Can you check what your bud would take for the tri-color. Do any of you'al come to lexington? Later, Jon

Hi Jon,

Check out my post in the classifieds. I have been keeping tri-color hogs for four years. At present I keep 45 hogs, Easterns, Westerns, Southerns, Tri-colors and Mexicans. You know you can never have too many!. Out of all of them and their idiosyncrasies the Tri-color is, in my opion, the easiest to care for. No going off feed or fussyness, just put in a separate container and drop in a f/t pink or fuz and bam - down the hatch! Alot like my greyband King. We live in Florida so the humidity is fairly high, so ours are kept on aspen with a shed box at the appropriate time. As babies, they are easier than greybands to get started on pinks. What ever you choose -- ask lots of questions, be patient, pay attention, don't panic, and read a lot!! You will do great with any snake. Hogs are the coolest species on the planet. Tom Pinson

Link

Now I want one. How pricey are they?

$175.00 to $380.00 depending on their color and gender.

Tom

Tom, what species is that? I keep supposed "pulcher" and they are much smaller and not nearly as red. Do pulcher lose their red color? Do you think what you have is semicinctus?
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1.0 snow corn snake '02
0.1 butter corn snake '02
0.1 hi-red corn snake '02
0.1 CB KY locality corn snake '02
1.1 Texas Baird's rat snake '00
0.1 black rat snake '03
1.1 Het for albino and albino radiated rat snake '02&'03
1.1 tri-color hognose snake '03
1.1 albino striped Cal king snake '01
0.1 black king snake '01
1.1 black milk snake '01&'02
1.1 pueblan milk snake '03
0.1 red milk snake '02
1.1 African house snake '03

Hi Trace,

My thoughts are my female is Lystrophis matogrossensis cross with Lystrophis pulcher. My male is definitely Lystrophis pulcher. I personally have never seen a true semicinctus for sale at any of the major shows. My male has kept pretty good color, but not nearly as bright as the female. One key may be the coloration on the belly scales. If they are all black on the babies bellies the adult may turn dark. If the belly scales are moddled black and white with more white being the dominant color the adults seem to be brighter in color. This is just my observation, nothing is based on fact.

Are Lystrophis matogrossensis in the country? I thought that only pulcher and semicinctus were available. I have seen semicinctus occasionally in the classifieds I think Glades Herp had some not too long ago. Will all tri-coloreds interbreed? Do true pulchers turn all black? Thanks for the help.
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1.0 snow corn snake '02
0.1 butter corn snake '02
0.1 hi-red corn snake '02
0.1 CB KY locality corn snake '02
1.1 Texas Baird's rat snake '00
0.1 black rat snake '03
1.1 Het for albino and albino radiated rat snake '02&'03
1.1 tri-color hognose snake '03
1.1 albino striped Cal king snake '01
0.1 black king snake '01
1.1 black milk snake '01&'02
1.1 pueblan milk snake '03
0.1 red milk snake '02
1.1 African house snake '03

A quote from the pages of hognose.com

However, with the recent work done by Doctors G. J. Scrocchi and F. B. Cruz at the Instituto de Herpetologica, Republica Argentina, it has become increasingly clear that many of the snakes sold as tricolor hognosed snakes may actually comprise three or four separate species.

Virtually all dealers and hobbysits interviewed to date list their tricolor hognosed snakes as Lystrophis semicinctus. In reviewing the key identification points of these snakes, the majority of snakes sold as L. semicinctus actually appear to be either Lystrophis pulcher or Lystrophis matogrossensis with the former being far more common than the latter.

Unfortunately, the Pet Industry, and even the popular Herpetological media has been slow to change. Reptiles Magazine, one of the most widely read magazines in the United States, continues to misidentify photos of Lystrophis pulcher as Lytrophis semicinctus and has yet to publish a correction.

"No going off feed or fussyness, just put in a separate container and drop in a f/t pink or fuz and bam - down the hatch! "
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Hehe Tom, tell that to one of my tricolors. She has been refusing food for like 2 weeks now, it's aggrevating... I have had others do it before too, but they usually snap out of it after a little while.

All snakes go off feed at sometime or another, especially males, two weeks is not a long time. I have had western hog males go off feed for months with no ill effects.

My Tri-colored Hogs (pulcher) both seem to be never ending garbage disposals with a capacity to eat more prey per their size on a regular basis that many other colubrids I have raised. Granted, they do rattle their tails .....but when it is time to feed they are true "Hogs".

Ken
Central Texas

Hi Ken,

Glad to hear the babies are doing so well. I always enjoy hearing from you. Talk to you soon.

Tom

Hi Navaros,

Could be your close to a shed or maybe they are not hungry! (just kidding hehe). We are also in breeding season, males just go want to breed and will go off feed for a week or so. Unlike my Southern male who decided not to eat for 6 months. My male Western who is 8 inches long since last August and eats once every 2 months or so. My male Eastern who didn't eat for awhile and now he is a pig. One of my female Westerns wouldn't eat for 5 months. So my Tri Colors overall give me no problem when you consider the other hogs. All my other hogs, other than Tri Colors, seem to require more patience while feeding. How I hold my tongue, if I blink my eyes, move the prey wrong - you get the idea - so my statement, drop in a f/t pink or fuz and bam - down the hatch, is pretty much right on target compared to every one else! Thanks for all the fun.

Tom

The snake in question is a female, about 8 or 9 months old. She was in a shed cycle but she is out now and still refuses food. I'm sure she will start eating in time though.