| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| jamie6125 |
Posted - 17/09/2010 : 22:26:18
Hi my name is jamie and im currently a corn snake keeper
amd im gradualy broadining my horizons and he=ve been looking at a hognose, just doing research regarding= care and general tips. jus a bit concerned regard the mild venom although i believe its not dangurous to humans any help would be great as i have a faily and if i thought risk was there i wouldnt consider keeping one, nut as its rear fanged and and strike with closed mouth
im interested . so any tips on risk. as this will be my snake to handle and take care off,
please help
great sight as usual guys
jamie |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| aedgirl |
Posted - 16/10/2010 : 23:06:47
I'm still new to hoggies and by no means experianced with snakes. I feels the "venom" is a issue but as will all animals - you have to read the behaviour and these little guys play it fairly - how many warning do they give? A bee sting could kill the wrong person but we still "risk it" and go in the garden ect. If they were "that" risky then the powers that be wouldn't let the general public keep them.
As for a snake bite in general - a accident and emergency consultant once advised me if ever I was bitten by any snake, to attend as would most likely need anti-biotics.
I guess for me - hoggies are great and i feel the risk is low so I have chosen to keep them. Its all personal choice and finguring out what is a comfortable risk and what isnt. |
| dimarzio |
Posted - 13/10/2010 : 11:12:45
Hi. Im new to this forum as well, but have been the keeper of a male captive bred western hognose for just over 3 years now.
In my experience with my snake DiMarzio, if he is in a bad mood, or you startle him when going to handle him, he makes a huffy sound of noise and can puff himself up. sometimes he can even make a convincing sounding rattling/ hissing noise, and will only strike with mouth closed if he is really wound up. But as soon as you pick him up, he just forgets whatever the problem was and goes back to being quiet and curious.
As for the "venom" I have actually taken a full bite on my finger from dimarzio, with fangs, and had a reaction to the toxic saliva. My hand and forearm swelled up, and felt very itchy. But there was no pain. the swelling lasted for about 48 hours, and i had to keep my arm elevated to drain the fluid. I had it checked out in A&E for infection, but it was clean. this was due to me not washing my hands well enough after handling raw meat whilst cooking, and was a mistaken feeding response on the snakes part!
Enjoy your new companion, as they are beautiful, characterful and entertaining animals. |
| jamie6125 |
Posted - 26/09/2010 : 08:13:18
great thanks guys,
just another question my corns are really placid so when its time to hande my hoggie? and he hissy and huffy your natural reaction is to leave alone isnt it? but as im fully aware of all the display behaviour
he should calm down as soon as ive picked him up right???
j |
| Swinginuttersgrrl |
Posted - 23/09/2010 : 16:26:44
That is true for most smaller animals (read: not dogs and cats) as they can stress out pretty bad right after a big move or life change. In our house the general rule is two enthusiastic feedings or three coaxed feedings before we handle any new snake. This means, if they have no issues taking the food, then we wait until a day or two after the second feeding, if they are less than interested in the food once or twice we wait until after the third feeding to handle. This has helped us prevent issues with stress-related food refusal as we have had a few snakes in the past that gave us issues with feeding (including one of the hogs) and it seems to work out well. |
| jamie6125 |
Posted - 21/09/2010 : 14:28:41
Hi guys!!!!
good news i finaly track a hognose down in warrington.
just picked him up hes great. he had a little hissy fit once when i went to transfer him. is it the same rule for hoggies as corns as in leave to settle for a week???? |
| LouiseB |
Posted - 20/09/2010 : 13:59:37
Hoggies in the UK cost about £40-£50 direct from a breeder or £80-£100 from a reptile shop. That's just for a normal Western type, it would be more if you wanted an albino or tri-colour type.
The venom issue is hardly worth worrying about because bites are so rare, but it is worth pointing out that some people can be allergic to the venom in the same way that you can react badly to bee stings, so if anyone in your family has problems with allergies of this sort you might want to take extra precautions when handling a hoggy.
They are fine with mice as their sole food source. Some hoggies can be fussy about eating and you might need to try scenting a mouse with frog or toad before feeding, but to be honest I've never had to resort to this myself. |
| Swinginuttersgrrl |
Posted - 20/09/2010 : 00:58:38
captive bred western hogs should not need to be weaned onto mice. Most of them take them with no problem, and you definitely don't want to be feeding live with these guys as they don't constrict, they just start eating from the get go, which can be funny to watch when you aren't expecting it, but we had a problem feeder who would only take live and it was excruciating having to watch/listen since they don't kill it first, they just eat it. While frogs and toads are not a problem to feed them they can live with no problem with mice as a solitary food.
Wish I could help you with pricing, but I'm in the states and prices vary from region to region regardless of where you are without having to work on a conversion for you, but if you can find one close enough for you to get to easily a show is really your best source for a reasonable price. My first two came from a show and were very affordable ($30 for the normal and $45 for the het-snow. retail around here is usually $75-$150 for a normal). Our other 3 have come from Craigslist, which is also a good source for cheap reptiles if you're comfortable with it. |
| jamie6125 |
Posted - 18/09/2010 : 19:45:29
oh and how much is a hognose generally because ive heard a few prices and i dont want to be robbed by idiots????
thanks.
jamie |
| jamie6125 |
Posted - 18/09/2010 : 15:57:58
Hi guys one more question, is it essential that frogs and toads are a part of the diet as im concerned about sourcing them? i know mice are fine but are they ok with mice as a singular food, do i need to wean them onto mice???
help.
jamie |
| jamie6125 |
Posted - 18/09/2010 : 08:40:50
thats great guys thankyou |
| diggler |
Posted - 18/09/2010 : 01:33:41
hya jamie
i also started off with corn snakes i currently have three n think they are great ,
i have two hoggys ,one is a 2 yr old male,the other is a 6 mnth old female ,
yes to some the venom maybe an issue but believe me it is not a problem ,you hoggy may hiss n strike at you every now and then but in my opinion they will hardly ever bite , if either of my hoggys has a hissy fit at me i just leave them for 5 mins then got back, by then they are fine,they are great snakes and are usually out all day long so you can see them out n about throughout the day,
the temp on the warm side of the viv needs to be slightly more than the temp of corn snakes but you can get round this with a light bulb n thermostat. i keep my babies at about 90deg in warm end of viv n they seem fine ,
the only issue as you may find is that espacially the males at times can very awkward feeders which can be a probb,my older male has now not fed for nearly four months whick i find a concern as my corns feed every week or so no probbs ,but my advice to you is get a hoggy mate they are great snakes full of character and very very friendly both my hoggys luv being handled and can be very rewarding ,if you require any more assisatance feel free to ask i am by no means an expert but there are a lot of people on this site who are so ask away matey
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| Swinginuttersgrrl |
Posted - 18/09/2010 : 01:09:59
I'm new myself to the board, but I do currently keep hogs, and it has been my experience that your risk (and your family's) is INCREDIBLY slim of ever having any issue related to a hog bite. 1. because they do strike with closed mouths when they strike at all, and their strike is a posturing defense response much like a wild hognose's tendancy to "play dead" 2. because the "venom" is a very mild and primitive toxin that is primarily afflicting to amphibians and does not cause normal envenomation in larger animals (such as humans) more a mild "reaction" 3. because a scared hognose will first urinate or musk on you, hiss at you, and flare up its head BEFORE getting upset enough to even strike at you.
Some additional food for thought is that if a member of your family is sensitive to the bacteria in reptile saliva, then one of your corn snakes could do more damage medically speaking to said family member than even a full grown female hog would be likely to ever inflict.
They are lovely little snakes and most are very easy going and curious and tolerate handling even by those who don't typically handle snakes, they are also on the smaller side so are wonderful for space usage. Kudos for doing your homework, but it seems to me that the word VENOM always makes people far more concerned than need be with these little guys. Keep asking around, someone with more experience can probably be a little more technical than I am.
Goodluck and hope you find what works for you!
~K |
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