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 #2061125


Jdataco
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 Eastern or Southern?

Hey guys and gals, I need some help identifying this hognose. It was found in a friends house in South Carolina.

I have been wanting one as a pet for a while so may keep this one if I can get it to eat. I currently own 3 boa constrictors so i’m not new to the snake thing just the hognose.



08/20/09  09:15pm

 #2061193


Primal_Heart
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   Message To: Jdataco   In reference to Message Id: 2061125


 Eastern or Southern?

that is most likely an eastern hognose, but wether it’s east or south, those hogs, especially wildcaught, are usually hard to get onto mice. they usually only take frogs/toads from what I understand. usually captive bred western hogs are much better about eating rodents



08/20/09  10:45pm

 #2061352


Jdataco
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   Message To: Primal_Heart   In reference to Message Id: 2061193


 Eastern or Southern?

Ok, i figured that it would be a toad eater exclusively. Someone told me to freeze wildcaught toads in an ice tray to keep them from drying out. Will this eliminate most parasites as it does with rodents. I actually have a western hog in my store but i prefer the looks of this guy. If I can’t get this guy to eat after a couple weeks though I am prepared to release him, I def. won’t let him starve.
08/21/09  07:54am

 #2061949


JackAsp
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   Message To: Jdataco   In reference to Message Id: 2061352


 Eastern or Southern?

There’s still quite a few parasites that will survive the freezing process, though. I’ve seen people on Koingsnake rattle off some pretty big lists. Tuna-water-scenting is actually more common nowadays than reliance on toads.
08/22/09  02:27pm

 #2061951


Jdataco
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   Message To: JackAsp   In reference to Message Id: 2061949


 Eastern or Southern?

Thanks, ill try the tuna thing with some pinks, i’m just concerned about the long term affects of a rodent diet, should I be? I have also seen some stuff about african clawed frogs but not any definate answers about them being safe or not. I own a pet store so I can order them on a weekly basis if they are safe. Thanks for the help guys!
08/22/09  02:44pm

 #2062271


JackAsp
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   Message To: Jdataco   In reference to Message Id: 2061951


 Eastern or Southern?

If it’s big enough for at least hoppers, then the fattiness factor isn’t so bad. I would assume those reports of liver trouble come from using pinkie rats all thier lives than from using mice. Or from just over-feeding.
You do have to watch out for hair impactions though. They don’t break it down as well as snakes that more habitually prey on adult mammals. Sometimes it’ll come out mixed with the other waste and not even be noticeable. Sometimes it’ll come out by itself, like little furballs. Sometimes it gets a little stubborn and they need to be soaked. Not often, but it’s just something to be aware of.
You know how sometimes when a snake’s growing a mile and minute and then stops suddenly, you don’t realize it yet and keep feeding it bigger meals for a few rounds than it is still actually utuilizing? That happened wth my western, and the excesss of hair and bone got tangled up in her intestinal tract and she wound up passing blood. Once I found out from the X-Ray what was wrong, I simply waited til feeding time, fed her a mouse with its tail dipped in mineral oil and she was fine afterward. But that issue was from overfeeding her when her digestive system was slowing down, not from mice being inherantly bad. If you check around at longevity records, you’ll keep seeing very long-lived rodent feeders.
08/23/09  10:04am

 #2062468


Jdataco
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   Message To: JackAsp   In reference to Message Id: 2062271


 Eastern or Southern?

Ok, thanks a lot for the help JackAsp
08/23/09  05:17pm

 #2062676


Adam_S
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   Message To: Jdataco   In reference to Message Id: 2062468


 Eastern or Southern?

You mentioned clawed frogs. I’ve heard they shouldn’t be fed. One rule of thumb is not to feed non-native prey items to wild-caught native species. Also, if there is any chance that you will be releasing the hognose back into the wild, then you’ll want to keep it entirely secluded from your other animals. A conservation friend of mine repeatedly assures me that there is a significant risk of contaminating wild populations with foreign bacteria and disease when we bring them into our captive collections and then release them back into the wild.

By the way, beautiful Eastern and a great find! Let us know if you get him feeding, that would be impressive. Adam
08/24/09  12:28am

 #2068096


Jdataco
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   Message To: Adam_S   In reference to Message Id: 2062676


 Eastern or Southern?

He finally ate for me. He refused scented pinkies over and over again but finally ate a live toad. I’m going to try to transition him over to toad scented mouse pinkies after a few more toads, just to get him in the groove of me feeding him. Thanks again for the help guys!
09/05/09  05:15pm

 #2068173


Crystel
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   Message To: Jdataco   In reference to Message Id: 2068096


 Eastern or Southern?

From the hognose.com care sheet on eastern hognoses
" WARNING: only American Bufonids should be used; other frogs and toads (such as firebelly toads and dendrobatid frogs) may cause death or injury. Although reports state tiger salamanders have been observed as food items of Heterodon, some Ambystomids may also be toxic to hognosed snakes as well."

I’m not sure what kind of frog/toads you’ve got or plan to have, but I figured I’d let you know about that just in case :) I read a post once where someone was considering firebelly toads specifically, so this could be useful info

Link
09/05/09  09:04pm

 #2068590


Jdataco
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   Message To: Crystel   In reference to Message Id: 2068173


 Eastern or Southern?

The toad was an american toad, but thanks for the info Crystel.



09/06/09  10:13pm

 #2081735


Gregg @ Squamata
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   Message To: JackAsp   In reference to Message Id: 2062271


 Eastern or Southern?

Quote:

JackAsp
"I would assume those reports of liver trouble come from using pinkie rats all thier lives than from using mice. Or from just over-feeding."


Fatty liver disease is not caused by diet... Also reptiles are know for having fatty livers because of how they live and their natural functions..

Quote:

JackAsp
"You do have to watch out for hair impactions though. They don’t break it down as well as snakes that more habitually prey on adult mammals."



This is untrue because no reptile breaks down the fur/hair... Fur/Hair impaction is a non issue especially if you provide your hognose with proper hydration...

What went wrong with your hognose with the hair and bones is an extream case and a bit unbelievable... North American colubrids have a high metabolic rate and in the wild some species eat almost on a daily basis... I would say that your snake ran into problems because it was not hydrated enough or you are not keeping it hot enough... It had nothing to do with the hair or its "sudden growth stop"...
10/08/09  10:52am


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