good beginner snake besides...

I looked up on the sand boas they are really nice, I like the color. I have heard about the dwarf boa species too, I actually found a breeder who has a lot of babies and adults right now. The only reason I said "besides ball pythons" is because I already know about them, and am still considering them, it is not because I would not get one, infact they are on the top of my list, I just wanted to broaden my horizon I guess you should say. Oh also I thought that a lot of people have a hard time getting ball pythons to eat frozen.

that depends on the snake, and the person. I have a bunch of '05s (a mix of CB and CH), and at one point I had them all on f/t prey. I accidently turned off the heat to 2 shelves one night, and two of them went off f/t...well, for the most part, lol. One of them will occasionally take a f/t rat pup, the other occasionally takes a dry defrosted medium sized mouse...they'll come around again in due time, I'm more stubborn than they are.

So are you saying get live food at first, then try to get them to eat frozen?

I Would try to use F/T first but if it refuses it is better to feed it live, then try to switch it over later, thne to let it starve.

That depends on the age, and feeding habits, of the snake. Babies of some species will readily take f/t, even for their first meal...others can be expected to hold out for live. In those instances, it is essentially a waste of time and money to persist in offering f/t at each feeding. Get them feeding regularly, first - a strong feeding response is your best friend when trying to convert to f/t. My CH balls had been fed live up until my purchase, but they were all good feeders. Most of them took f/t immediately, and the rest converted within 2 months (though some initially only fed at every other, or every third offering).

how big do hognose snakes usually get?

which ones?

Western hognose snakes. Whats the difference between wester and eastern, and all the others?

Originally Posted by bball4life

Whats the difference between wester and eastern, and all the others?

Sorry, but that is asking for far more than just being helpful...too many different kinds, too many differences. If you are THAT interested in hognose snakes, there is a wealth of information available online as well as a number of hognose specific sites.
For size, just to rattle off a few:
southern hognose rarely exceed 18-20 inches
for westerns, 18-24 inches is about average, with some specimens as as large as 3 ft.
easterns are larger still, averaging 2-3 ft, with potential for up to 4.
The Malagasy giant hognose can reach 6ft (+/-)