How to Handle a Hognose Snake

Video Transcript

"Now, once Hognose Snakes get use to you they're fairly easy to handle. Baby Hognose Snakes, neonates, are a little bit more work, wiggle a little bit more, may musk on you but as you handle them more the more they get used to you and the more they'll calm down. Now when you first go into a Hognose Snake's cage a lot of times they'll hiss. That's just a natural reaction, don't take it personally, this is something they do. The more you handle them the less they'll hiss but in some Hognose Snake, in some cases, they'll always hiss, it's just a natural reaction. But, again, when you go into the snake's enclosure, to make the snake feel less stressed out. Again, you don't want to grab them from the top, that's how a predator would have grabbed them, as a hawk which sweeps from the air, grabs the snake from the top. So, you very gently want to scoop the snake, grab him from the bottom, and just bring him out of his enclosure where you can handle him more freely. It's a small snake it's very easy to handle. You don't need two hands, but again, you want to support the entire snake's body. Now, snakes, as snake owner, you will get bit every now and then. Hognose Snakes are very reluctant to bite. In fact, I've worked with them for over fifteen years and I've only gotten bit by them once and that was when I was feeding one and it accidentally smelt the prey on my finger and bit my finger. There is some scientific research that has shown that Hognose Snakes have very, very mild venom. It's a rear-fanged snake. They have larger teeth in the back to help them puncture frogs and toads that inflates them when the snake is swallowing. So it punctures this frog or toad, deflates it, and makes it a lot easier to swallow. But there is some research that has shown that these guys might have a mild venom to them. Not enough to hurt us, but, if it did bite, it might cause a little bit of swelling, a little bit of irritation."