Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My male hog is the tamest thing...mellow, never dispays, and super easy to handle.

I'm wondering if people have had success taming super skittish hogs that play dead all the time? I'm thinking about purchasing a female that fits that description, but I'd like to know if there's hope for future handling...

Thank,
Rose

hmmmmmmm
to be honest with you, i have never seen a mean hog yet, all my hogs like big babies loves to be handled.
and they never play dead on me , i wish they would, wouldnt mind to see how they do it lol.
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I think that a hog that never displays must have had a lobotomy! How boring!

Hognoses need no "taming", I can't imagine trying to get rid of their most basic anti-predator behavior. That would defy their main appeal. And I don't see how it affects handling at all, especially when they NEVER bite.

Besides, hogs rarely play dead in captivity.

So feel free to grab any ol' hog, I am sure it would perk up your male!
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"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
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"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
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I'll explain a little more:

My father used to rehabilitate wild snakes that were hit by cars or attacked by cats. Species native to CA. He also ran a program for preschoolers and used the snakes that couldn't be released to teach them local ecology. Taming snakes is kind of a family trade.

By "tame" I don't insinuate that they are dangerous. I expect a tame snake to not have a stressful reaction when I handle it. My hog does not, and never has, displayed. He is handled by four year olds regularly. A female I was interested in purchasing apparently does display regularly. She plays dead and the seller characterized her as "skittish."

Since I have no prio experience with skittish hogs, I was hoping someone might have a story to share.

They seem to be like big babies to me too...
Rose

I have a couple that will huff and puff when I reach into their tank to do some cleaning. And once, I took a brush and kept teasing the female. She was hissing really loudly and after a few minutes of this teasing, she started to convulse and rolled around. She eventually turned on her back and laid still. I had to keep teasing her for her to stay that way. It was pretty fun to watch!
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I agree with Colchicine. Their "bluff" is what makes hognoses so cool--really cool! I have about forty hogs and they all display, and they should! I disagree with the assertion that they NEVER bite. They do bite, and its not fun, but it is pretty rare. There is nothing like getting hammered by an adult Minnesota phase female to make one respect the western hognose. I should add though, that hognose-human bites are almost always feeding-response related.

Jeff
Cahaba River Ectotherms

I have a couple of male hogs that don't "like" being handled. They tend to hiss and strike, but of course they don't bite.

My big female is very tame, however she is certainly the most dangerous of all my hogs simply because she tries to eat anything than comes in or near her cage.

I wouldn't give it any concern. Hogs adjust very quickly to being handled. The only thing I would recommend is don't handle a hog until it is eating predictably and regularly. See my answer about force feeding several posts below if you want to know why.
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Chris Harrison

I have a two year old very tame female. She used to hiss, spray musk, strike...etc, until I picked her up. THen she would be happy and sweet (and smelly). I really hated the musk thing, it really stinks! Anyway, all of that stopped when I got a real reptile cage instead of using a fish tank. I now use cages from herpcages.com for all my animals. They open from the side and not the top. A reptile feel threatened when something is coming at them from above. My hog never hisses, scents or strikes since I changed cages. My corn also seems a lot less stressed when I pick her up as well. I am not trying to sell cages for them, I'm just pointing out something that can make a real difference when picking up reptiles. To anyone having problems taming a reptile, I would at least try going to a side opening cage. That way they do not view you so much as a potential threat.
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