I think the op is referring to babies you hatch! I myself have never hatched hognoses so can’t speak on that!
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Gotcha. I haven’t hatched any babies out yet, but I’ve had my fair share of itty bitty hognoses. Some will be easy to feed and some won’t. Generally speaking, it’s not that bad. Just need to figure out what works best for each snake. Some will take food right away, and some will need a different method of feeding.
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Defense is not the only reason snakes bite and that is especially so with hognose.
Hognose have a very HIGH predilection to bite because they test everything as potential food by biting it. And I do mean everything: water bowls, forceps, hands, cage decor, shirts, shoes, the side of the tub, themselves, power cords, thermostat probes, paper towels, stuffed animals, drawstrings, watches… Further, being opisthoglyphous, the potential for a bad outcome is much higher.
Every snake has the potential to bite and every snake needs to be handled as if it will bite. Every time.
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That is my one concern about getting into them. I would love to breed them one day.
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100% agree with Wyman. My hognoses with a higher prey drive have bitten me, my daughter, my feeding tongs, their water bowls, the rims of their tubs, my shorts, and my shoes.
I’ve never been bitten defensively by a snake, though, only hungry babies. I find it’s much easier to anticipate and avoid a defensive strike.
OP, I would suggest milk snakes or kings. They are easy to care for and great eaters. Baby hognoses are a pain in the butt sometimes!
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I’d say north american rat snakes like yellows, everglades, easterns, great plains, bairds, and my personal favorite, trans pecos.
Yeah, I know this from experience. I’ve dealt with several juvenile hogs in the past, and about half of them have been pretty feisty. As Clint’s Reptiles always says,“When you’re a noodle with a head, the world’s a scary place.”
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Yellow and Everglades rat snakes are Eastern rat snakes. It is those, the black rat snake, and the greenish rat snake that are all the Eastern rat snake. Same species just different locales. The babies can be spicy but usually tame down great. My albino striped black rat snake is one such example. The most tolerant of handling snake I have ever held and has only bit me when she missed her food. Instantly let go, but the teeth on a 6’1" rat snake are no joke. Snakes with spicy babies I feel are more rewarding to have as a tame adult.
This depends on the species. Many kings as hatchlings sometimes need started on lizards. Since these are going to be future breeders the OP will need to figure out if they could provide lizards if needed. Same as them needing to provide frog-scented mice, or tadpoles for hognose snakes in some cases.
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Very true. I’d definitely avoid any lizard eating snakes to start a breeding project with.