Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone. I was just wondering what everyone thinks as hognose snakes for a somewhat beginner. I've cared for snakes before but only my cousins for little time and have many different sorts of lizards. But i've seen and handled a few hognose snakes and just seem to really like them. What I was wondering is what type are easier to deal with (western or eastern whats the difference), which are more liked, and what kind of lighting/heating might they need. Im really looking forward to some snakes in the near future but have my eye one these and want all of your opinions. Thanks Everyone!!

I'd start with the western because they eat mice easier. Eastern hognoses usually want to eat toads and frogs, but you can get them to eat mice. some western hogs will fast for sometime, mine hasn't in over two years though I feed them one adult frozen thawed mouse a week, they do not need a light just a under the tank heat pad and some substrate A waterbowl and two hide spots one on each side of the tank. let us know what you get
Wayne

easier to find, as far as I have heard much easier to keep, and in my personal experience my girl has been great. Might not recommend them f you haven't had snakes before or are super high-strung because they may drive you crazy--as you see on here half the posts are about hogs not eating, so if you are going to flip about a hog skipping a week or a month of meals, get a king and you'll be much better off. That said I love my western, she is adorable and eats pretty well and doesn't act up much more than puffing up and hissing when I haven't handled her in a while. She lives in a sterilite box with aspen shavings, water bowl, and a human heating pad under one corner to provide a heat gradient, and she will usually only stay near the pad when she's just eaten. She isn't real active and most of them spend their time hiding under substrate, so if you want an active, visible snake, probably not a great choice. But read up on them and look through posts here and you should have a pretty good idea about how to care for them adequately. They're fun little snakes.
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Sue

0.1 Western hognose (Sola)
1.0 Crested gecko (Gator)
0.1 Egyptian spiny mouse (Mia)
2.2 mini rex rabbits (Reggie, Hayden, Jackie and Peek-a-boo)
0.1 Plott hound (Molly)
0.1 'found in someone's garage' kitty (Terra)

1.0 Betta (Flash) and 1.0 FL kingsnake (Vega) currently living with boyfriend

Yeah I wanted some information like that. I have somewhat cared for snakes before and am very dedicated and dont freak out to much if i know whats going on. thats why i just wanted to ask the questions. are there any good books to read for the hognose snakes that i can read that are worth buying? thanks again everyone.

hmm, I looked on amazon and didn't see anything promising for hog books...going through these pages (you don't have to even go into the archives) provided me with a lot of useful information when I was waiting to get my hog--different ways people house them, get them to eat, etc... Mine is a low maintenance set-up but you could be more elaborate and naturalistic if you wanted. look at the western (and other species) hog caresheets at www . hognose . com (no spaces in there for real, just trying not to get it 'bleeped' out)--it's a nice site but I know it's up for sale so look quick before it goes or changes. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but before you ask, just take the time to scroll down the pages here and see if the same question has been answered recently, which will save everyone time.
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Sue

0.1 Western hognose (Sola)
1.0 Crested gecko (Gator)
0.1 Egyptian spiny mouse (Mia)
2.2 mini rex rabbits (Reggie, Hayden, Jackie and Peek-a-boo)
0.1 Plott hound (Molly)
0.1 'found in someone's garage' kitty (Terra)

1.0 Betta (Flash) and 1.0 FL kingsnake (Vega) currently living with boyfriend

this is something that hopefully shouldnt be a problem if you buy from a decent breeder....but get captive born and well-started on f/t pinkies...you don't want to get something that you know from the start is going to be tough to feed. Make it easier on you and the snake, let the breeder do the hard part that they are (hopefully) better at, and get it eating unscented pinkies before you get the snake. preferably have it taking unscented f/t more than once (mine came with her feeding records--was nice to have, and the person I got her from was great to deal with). Hogs don't seem to shed very frequently, and many people report that they never see theirs drink--mine will usually drink the water off the pinky before she eats it but doesn't drink from her dish.
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Sue

0.1 Western hognose (Sola)
1.0 Crested gecko (Gator)
0.1 Egyptian spiny mouse (Mia)
2.2 mini rex rabbits (Reggie, Hayden, Jackie and Peek-a-boo)
0.1 Plott hound (Molly)
0.1 'found in someone's garage' kitty (Terra)

1.0 Betta (Flash) and 1.0 FL kingsnake (Vega) currently living with boyfriend

well... if its your first hog... i'd say go with western...they are much more available and are generally easier to begin with...although easterns are by far my favorite i would reccomend stareing with a baby western and then later moving on up to the other species..