Western Hognose Care Sheet
Information & Care
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Can live to be 15-18 years of age
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Easy to maintain
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Little to no smell
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Native habitat ranges from southern Canada, throughout the United States and into northern Mexico.
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Rear-Fanged and does have a slight toxin similar to that of a bee sting.
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They can bluff like a cobra but generally prefer to fake their own deaths when dealing with a predator.
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Adolescent Males tend to be more ornery and bluff and hiss, but generally once handled, they calm down.
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Is a relatively docile snake. If it does strike, it's generally closed mouth. If they open mouth bite, it's more for a feeding response. It is because of that reason is why they were my first snake. I also tend to find their bluffing and hissing quite adorable.
Care Sheet
Size:
Hatchlings are about 5-7 inches in length. Adult females can get up to 3 feet, and males can get up to 2 feet.
Enclosure:
Babies should be kept in 6 quart bins. Any larger and they can have feeding issues. Adult males can be kept in 15 quart bins or a 10 gallon tank, and adult females can be kept in a 32 quart bin or 20 gallon tank.
Substrate:
Aspen is my preferred bedding for them. They are a burrowing species so a good 3-5 inches of aspen is needed for them to burrow and make their tunnels.
Lighting & Heating:
Again, it is debatable if they actually need UVA or UVB lighting. They are diurnal. It all depends on who you talk to in whatever forum you read on. To each their own. I don't use lighting, and instead just give them, and all of my animals, the light from my windows to signify day/night cycle. Heating can be provided by heat tape, a UTH, or a ceramic heat lamp. I have a rack system so I use heat tape. Whatever you use, make sure you use a thermostat and properly check temperatures with either a thermometer, or my preferred method, an infrared temp gun that I bought from my local hardware store.
Temperature & Humidity:
Western Hognose Snakes need a warm spot for them to lay on to aid in digestion at a temperature of 90-93 degrees. Any higher can cause burns. You want a gradient from around 90-93 on their warm side to 75-80 so that they can cool off when they want to. Humidity is essential to aid in their shedding. Unlike some other snakes like Ball Pythons, their humidity should be lower. They need to be in between 35-40% to get really good sheds. If you're having trouble keeping humidity level, then you can put a moist hide of eco-earth mixed with aspen or spaghnum moss to get it right.
Feeding:
Mice or rats, although rats are preferable due to better nutrition. I feed my babies and juveniles pinky mice and once they get big enough I switch to hoppers or small mice.
Sexual Maturity:
They reach sexual maturity by weight. Males can reach sexual maturity as soon as 70 grams. Females should be at least 250 grams.
Breeding: Breeding should be taken with serious care and consideration. Not only can it be dangerous on the animals, there are plenty of breeders out there that have plenty to sell. If it's something that you want to seriously consider doing with specific lines then there is plenty of information out there on the internet. Otherwise, just enjoy the snakes that you've got. If you do want to get into breeding, be sure to buy from a reputable breeder and do the research because there is a lot involved.
To learn more about caring for Western Hognose, check out this website.