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A different kind of hognose...

Sweetseraph

Sweetseraph

New member
So, I get home from work tonight and there's one of my snake bins on the kitchen counter with shavings and a water bowl in it, that I know I hadn't put there. I look in and try to figure out who's in there and who's been playing with my snakes. I see a little head poke up through the shavings and quickly pull back down. The quick glance I got made me think it was one of my normal hatchlings. Hubby sees me looking and says, oh, that's a present I brought home for you. So, at first I think someone gave him a captive snake. But, nope, hubby works outside and the girlfriend of one of the guys he works with had found a snake in the yard and saved him from being nearly run over by the lawn mower. :eek:

So, I put my stuff away and come back to the bin and the little guy is out and has flattened and puffed himself up like a cobra! I said to hubby, what the heck is this??? He comes and looks and says, what the?? he never did that and we were all holding him. I assured him he wasn't poisonous anyways, since Ontario only has one poisonous snake (Massassauga Rattlesnake). I remember that there's a snake that puts on quite a show and this must be him. Turns out he's an Eastern Hognose. They will rear up, flatten like a cobra and hiss. If that doesn't work, they will nose bump you and finally, they will play dead. Unfortunately, I can't keep this one, because they feed almost exclusively on toads. :cry:


This is a full body shot through the bin lid:

IMG_4526.jpg



This is him doing his best impression of a cobra:

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And this one isn't very clear, but it's the best one I was able to get of his hoggy little nose:

IMG_4533.jpg
 
Awww, what a cutie. :) I don't know much about Easterns (I have a Western), but I'm pretty sure they can be switched to mice... you just have to toad-scent them for a while, until they get used to eating rodents.
 
We had a Eastern one time that we bought hairless mice for, because we'd been told that they eat toads because they can't digest mice hair well. Don't know how true that it. She eventually passed away. She was full grown when we got her, so I don't know how old she was.
 
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Awesome Hoggie! How sweet looking... I'd at least try to get him switched over, or see if he'll eat for you before giving up hope. That's one cool looking snake!
 
Hey I would send a PM to Deadmouse. See what he thinks before you get rid of it.
Seriously he might be able to help you.
 
Yep, that's a typical Eastern all right! Nice looking one too.

While Easterns are toad eaters and some keepers have had success scenting rodents with toads to switch these guys over, only you can determine if it's really worth it in the end to have a probable parasite laden animal that might not adapt all that well in captivity if just for the sake of having it as a pet. Heck, even captive hatched Easterns can be a bit tedious to switch over to rodents which is probably why you do not see them as readily available for sale in the trade. It's a shame really because they are a beautiful hognose species. I especially like the black and orange Easterns I've seen in pictures.

One thing I've noticed is that while both Easterns and Westerns hood, the Eastern's hooding seems far more pronounced than a Western's is. I have several Western individuals that are pissy and hood at me regularly and none of them flattens to quite that extent as any Eastern I've seen. I wonder if this is a physical difference or something else... Just an interesting little tidbit that I've always pondered. ;)
 
DeadMouse said:
One thing I've noticed is that while both Easterns and Westerns hood, the Eastern's hooding seems far more pronounced than a Western's is. I have several Western individuals that are pissy and hood at me regularly and none of them flattens to quite that extent as any Eastern I've seen. I wonder if this is a physical difference or something else... Just an interesting little tidbit that I've always pondered. ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah, that Eastern looks like a straight-up Cobra! :uhoh: My Western hoods at me occasionally, and it's nowhere near that pronounced... interesting.
 
Lolo said:
Yeah, that Eastern looks like a straight-up Cobra! :uhoh: My Western hoods at me occasionally, and it's nowhere near that pronounced... interesting.
Click to expand...

Does your female also hiss at you while she's hooding?
 
Very gorgeous! I bet you could switch her to mice! :)
My western loves hooding up and hissing really loudly at me. She usually strikes but not right at me, just trying to scare me away. Here's rogue pretending to be a cobra:
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I wish I were able to find a couple of hoggies out here, I guess I just don't know where to look... That eastern is really pretty, I would totally try to switch it to mice if it were at my place.
 
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