Western Hognose snakes are one of the most popular beginner species of snake due to their small size and ease of care. They are widely distributed throughout the USA and even as far north as Southern Canada. They prefer sandy or gravelly soils and can be found in a variety of habitats from prairies (grassland) and dry riverbeds through to scrubland and agricultural areas. Their scientific name Heterodon nasicus references their upturned snout or “hognose” which they use like a shovel to dig and root around in loose soils.

They are a diurnal species (daytime active) that feeds predominantly on amphibians in the wild, mostly they eat frogs and toads but there are records of them eating small lizards and occasional rodents. As pets in captivity, they feed on rodents like almost all other snakes, but it can take a little bit of effort to get youngsters to feed initially. Once established they are a greedy species that poses no issues with feeding. It is common for them to go through a winter fasting period of 2-3 months each year which would coincide with reduced food availability in the wild. This is perfectly natural and does not cause any issues. They can be a species of snake that is prone to obesity as adults. This is because of their excellent feeding response, be mindful not to overfeed them once they are mature.

Hognoses are known for being “mildly venomous” this is perhaps a little bit overstated. The reality is that they have an enlarged tooth approximately level with their eye and they have some mild venom compounds in their saliva which they will chew into their prey (frogs and toads) to subdue them more easily. Their bite not medically significant in most cases and it would have to chew on you for quite some time to have any chance of envenomation. If you have an allergy to bees/wasps or other sensitivities though, they may not be the best choice.

Hognoses are not an aggressive species, and very rarely would they bite in defence, they have a range of other defensive strategies that they prefer to employ. They can “huff” and hiss loudly and may resort to bluff striking where they will headbutt and pretend to bite but without even opening their mouth. If these strategies fail then they are the masters of overreacting and will flip on their back, stick their tongue out and produce a strong smelling musk all in a very convincing attempt to play dead. Hilariously though if you flip a hognose that is playing dead the correct way up it will immediately roll back onto its back and continue playing dead. They can remain motionless like this for a few minutes or until they feel danger has passed before they will then flip over and slither away to safety.

Hognoses are bred in a wide variety of colour and pattern mutations which only adds to their appeal. There are some truly jaw dropping combinations available which ensure that they are just as popular with avid enthusiasts as first time snake keepers.

One final point to note it that they are very sexually dimorphic in terms of their adult size, most males will mature at around 60cm long and have an approximate weight of 150g. A large female on the other hand could reach as much as 80-90cm and weigh over 500g. This still makes them one of the smallest species of snake regularly kept as pets, but the females do grow much larger than the tiny males.

Like most of the animals that we sell, all our hognoses are bred right here in store. Virtually all of our hognoses will be carrying additional het’s but they are only sold based upon their visual appearance.