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Tips before getting my first hognose?

M

mmhung2

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I just wanted to make sure I get EVERYTHING ready before I get my western hognose. I've been reading up a lot, but I feel like that can only get me so far and I REALLY don't wanna mess up. Feel free to let me know if I need anything else!

  1. Caging: I haven't invested in a "cage" or vivarium type of thing yet because I'm unsure of what I should actually get. I've seen people who keep their hoggies in glass tanks, but also people that keep them in Sterilite bins. It's most likely going to be my only snake for awhile, so I don't need a rack system or anything fancy. Other than that, I have a hide, a heavy-ish water bowl, aspen as substrate, a heat pad and a thermostat.
  2. Feeding: I'm prety set on getting a hatchling, so I have an order of pinkies and some fuzzies for when it gets bigger.
  3. The snake itself: I'm really interested in all the morphs and whatnot, but I honestly think I'd be happy with a normal. They're just so cute. So the question is...what are some quality places to buy from? I've been checking out the BOI and I've looked into BHB and LLLReptiles, but I'm open to any breeders who just really love their animals and are great to deal with.

Thanks so much guys! :)
 
i have you recommendations for you.
first, get your cage all set up and make sure its good to go temp/humidity wise long before you even purchase your animal. once you are satisfied that your cage is set up to house a hognose then i would look for one for sale.
second, buy from a well known breeder. you might end up spending a little more money but you really do get what you pay for. while most of the big breeders are dealing mainly with morphs, you can often find them selling possible hets for extremely cheap prices. i would recommend getting one of these pos hets. it doesnt matter which since you are happy with a normal.
I am just getting into hoggies so i've only purchased from one breeder so far but i would recommend the following breeders based on my limited knowledge
Greg Bennett: he's the guy i've purchased from. awesome guy and very helpful in answering all my questions.
Jeff Clayton: i have not purchased from him yet but i met him at repticon and his animals were all in excellent shape and he seemed like a really good guy to buy from.
there are a ton more awesome guys in breeding hognose out there but i just dont know enough about many of them yet to give an opinion.

Also, if this is your first snake then i would recommend finding an adult or subadult hognose. the babies can be a little insecure and for inexperienced snake keepers it can translate into a lot of frustration come feeding time.
baby hoggies like to feel secure and most people keep them in really small cages (6 quart tubs).
With that said if you chose to get a hatchie you would most certainly need to buy the smallest cage possible and upgrade later as it grew.

personally if i were you i would try and find me a sub adult female and i would keep her in a neodesha cage. i havent used these cages but i know a couple people that use em for their colubrids.
http://www.npicages.com/
 
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