true or false?

this might be a stupid question as i know very little about hogs. I heard they are mildly venomous, true or false. If this is true doesn't that mean they are potentially fatal to someone in the event of an allergic reaction?

Hi,

here is some info on the Hognose snake:

"Western Hognose is a small colubrid snake which is rear fanged and mildly venomous. The venom however seems to be specific to amphibians. Hognose snakes are diurnal (active mostly during the day). They will usually tame down with regular but short handling sessions."

You can read more info on this snakes care at:

http://www.rainforestreptiles.co.uk/...gnosesnake.htm

I also found this:

"Weaver reports the toxicity of Duvernoy's secretions to be sufficient to subdue prey in both the Southern and Western hognosed snakes. As with crotalids and elapids, the expulsion of the Duvernoy's glands may be triggered during feeding responses. The severity of the secretion appears to be sufficient only to paralyze and not kill the prey. Injections of the macerated contents of the inferior and superior labial salivary glands of the Eastern Hognosed Snake had an effect only on frogs and toads but not on mice. The effects on the frogs did not take effect for several hours, much too late to be useful in subduing prey prior to ingestion. McAlister therefore concluded the maxillary teeth of Eastern hognosed snakes are not used for the introduction of the salivary gland contents"

More can be read at: http://www.hognose.com/pages/venomous.htm

Interesting subject and now I find myself curious and I think I will go back and read some more. I think that if I had a super hyper sensitivity to venom in general I would be a little leery about getting bitten. I would rather play it safe than to test the Chaos Theory. However, it does seem that they are not harmful to humans though.

I hope this helps!
David Gaithe
www.razorbackexotics.com

I don't have time to search it out right now, but somewhere around here there is a link to some photo documentation of a severe hognose envenomation. A lot of swelling and pain, but that was about the extent of it. Keep in mind that the venom delivery system of opisthoglyphs is not very efficient--they really have to chew on the prey (or your finger) to introduce a significant amount of venom.

Here's the link Harald is talking about. Notice, that the guy intentionally let the snake hang on and chew for several minutes.

Hognose Bite

thats pretty crazy, in my town your not aloud to own any constrictor period no matter how big or small but you can own and buy as many hognose as you want. now obviously not deadly but still more significant damage than anything a little rosy boa could do.

I was told by a hognose veteran that most of the 'venom' that a hognose dispenses is acquired from eating toads in the wild. The toads secrete toxins from their skin and the hognose is able to use this to its advantage by digesting and processing it to its glands. Therefore, in the case of a captive bred hognose, feeding on mice, the toxins it would use from toads just aren't there. So there is not a great deal of worry when you are talking about a captive bred hoggy. The bite does cause reactions in some people, but that is a reaction TO the 'venom' and not FROM it. It is the contents of the saliva that is the culprit of the allergic reaction. I hope this isn't just a bunch of gibberish, but is helpful in answering your question.

Robert

Robert, I can't find the reference right now, but I remember reading a scientific article, where that theory (hoggies acquire their venom from toads) was tested, and turns out not to be true.