Western Hognose vs Kingsnake.

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Blue Crab of PAIN!!!!

Candiru
MFK Member
May 20, 2009
130
2
48
Buffalo NY
Hello everyone! I am interested in getting a (first) pet snake and I am unsure which species I would like to keep.

My pet Arg. B&W Tegu (Tupinambis merianae) named Taco went into hibernation about a month ago and now I'm lonely, because I have no real life friends and I finished Mass Effect 2, so now I need a winter friend!

What I'm looking for is a snake that stays manageable in size, can eat a diet of pre-killed mice, and does not have particularly strict requirements. The size thing is important becaus I would have to move it from college to home a few times each year (its going to be hard enouogh with the Tegu). As far as its demands I am most worried about humidity: I can keep humidity high easily enough but I can't keep it low.

From what I gathered both the Kinsnake and the Hognose don't need high humidity. Are either one of them adversely affected by particularly high humidty though? I'm also reading consistantly mixed reports on their UVB requirements. I'm not unfamiliar with providing these types of things to reptiles (Tegu needs it), but I would appreciate your input.

I like Black Kingsnakes because of their sleek color and appearance, and I like Hognose snakes because they're fat, short, chunky and always have a smile on their face (like the Tegu). I personally haven't encountered a corn-snake morph that I particularly like.

Of the two species, which would you personally recommend?

Oh, and I AM aware that hognose snakes are mildly venomous and I'm okay with that.
 
Well i have kept kings for years ( no longer do) and recently have started with western hogs ,id recommend for u a king , much easier than a hog in your situation for it seems hogs really don't do so well in high humidity , hot and dray is recommended by many .

But the plus sides to hogs are there small (males), easy to care for and if started with unscented mice are easy to feed. they may go off feed for long times depending on the season (my female is atm) but generally are good .

Kings on the other hand so far in my experience as long as there at the right temp and have there space they excel . they eat a variety of foods and are easy to get to eat thawed mice.

I also agree on the hogs smile , my male is my avatar :)
 
haha nice name. if i were you i wouldn't get a snake though. i have a tegu and have had snakes in the past but i gotta say, snakes make lousy friends. i would reccomend a monitor instead. i have a savannah and love em almost as much as my bw tegu. or a bird, quaker parrots stay small and forget about dogs, quakers(parrots) are a mans best friend. also i would reccomend xbox live, and black ops, with that who effin needs friends.
with only the experience of holding the two snakes at my local reptile store, i would say hognose, kings are very active and tend to only want to rome. the hognose is more something you could sit and watch tv with.
 
actually i forgot about the friends part , reptiles are not generally friends for people, they tend to be solitary in nature and over handling stresses them , and i agree about xbox live and cod bo, my gf and i spend all day on it and its a good way to have fun .
 
LOL thanks you guys. I should clarify that I was badly exaggerating when I was talking about friends :P
When it comes to reptiles I don't necessarily need something that I can cuddle with and keep me company (but, before he hibernated, my tegu had been promising).

I should take into account that my family (mother in particular) are not reptile lovers to any extent. How exactly they've come to accept a lizard that will grow to 4ft long is beyond me, but then again he's not big yet. I'm 19 now so what they say isn't an absolute determining factor but it is worth considering.

I've also been considering a legless lizard (Eastern Glass or Scheltopusik) since it isn't a snake (use that loophole with them) but I've heard that they're... unsociable.

Unfortunately I cannot really consider getting a monitor at this time. Until I graduate and have a place of my own I cannot handle more than one BIG lizard at a time. Unless it was one of those pygmy short-tailed goannas (I wish), even an Ackie may be pushing it. Also I'm not too big of a fan of anything warm blooded.... they poop too much.

Oh, another question for you guys. Is there a particular season when babies of either snake species are most abundantly available? I saw a baby M.B.kingsnake at my local petstore the other day, but its been a while since I've seen a baby hognose.
 
you have smaller monitors who act with the same spark and usto as the big ones.And you are fond of your lizzards.

I personnally detest Kings ( and Milks ), so I would go with the Hognose. You could also get a male Ball Python.
 
Blue Crab of PAIN!!!!;4683652; said:
I don't necessarily need something that I can cuddle with and keep me company


Oh, another question for you guys. Is there a particular season when babies of either snake species are most abundantly available? I saw a baby M.B.kingsnake at my local petstore the other day, but its been a while since I've seen a baby hognose.
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I cuddle with my boas. Even if they hate it half the time.

Go king they have better colors, they are a bit feisty but that is why I enjoy them. Kings are CB in large numbers, so you should have no problem finding one. I do not see stores stocking CB hog nose snakes often, you might get lucky in the spring.
 
silvertip0;4683725; said:
My Ball is very nice and I cuddle him... he doesn't seem to mind
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haha, when they're coiled into a tight ball with there head burried in the middle, thats not cuddling :ROFL:

when it comes to buy a snake or whatever you decide on, go to kingsnake, even with shipping you'll most like pay less than you would at a local pet store.
 
MyFishEatYourFish;4684074; said:
haha, when they're coiled into a tight ball with there head burried in the middle, thats not cuddling :ROFL:

when it comes to buy a snake or whatever you decide on, go to kingsnake, even with shipping you'll most like pay less than you would at a local pet store.
Click to expand...

He doesn't do that anymore. The only time he coils is when he is in his hide.
 
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