What Makes a Hognose Snake the Perfect Pet for You?
by Luke Tansley on in Snakes
Here at the Northampton Reptile Centre we love the hognose snakes. They only grow up to around 24” in length and have a great temperament. This animal is perfect for first time snake owners and seasoned veterans as its behaviour and mannerisms are both delightful and interesting.
They are found in America, Mexico, South America and Madagascar. A few things that make the hognose stand out against other snakes are the fact that they are rear fanged, have an upturned nose and they have a hood (like a cobra). They use their rear fangs as a tool to keep hold of prey or pop toads as they inflate!
These animals are extremely unlikely to bite, in the wild they rely on bluffing techniques to ward of threats. They will puff up their body and exhale hard making a hissing sound which is unusual as you don’t really hear this in most small snakes. When they strike it is usually a warning and they will not even open their mouth. In extreme circumstances they can deploy their secret weapon… playing dead.
The main features that make this animal a great pet for young or new owners are the fact that they remain a manageable size, they will only need a 3ft enclosure to house them for life and they are one of the least aggressive snakes in the pet trade. It’s a testament to their temperament that in the wild they won’t even bite things trying to eat them!
- Great pet for young people and new keepers
- Very passive and unlikely to be hostile
- Interesting behaviour and defence mechanisms
- Grows to an easily manageable size
- Interesting features not found in other small snakes
Why not come and see one for yourselves? We currently have juvenile common western hognoses (born July 14), a juvenile albino western hognose and a full grown tri-colour hognose in store!
For more information on care for these snakes check out the hognose care sheet.
For more information on keeping a hognose check out the set-up page for a corn snake (it’s the same).
If you’d like to know what other animals we have, check out our list of animals in store!
