Hognose snakes got their name through its upturned hog-like nose, which makes these snakes exceptionally good burrowers.
They are also named after where they are from. These include the Western Hognose Snake or the Mexican Hognose snake.
Others are named after their skin features such as the Tricolour Hognose snake.
If you are considering keeping a hognose snake,you need to know how large they can get!
How big do Eastern Hognose Snakes get?
Eastern Hognose snakes (also known as Heterodon Platirhinos), reside in the Eastern parts of North America and Canada. The average adult will grow to 71 cm (28 inches) long. However, it is known that female eastern hognose snakes, are larger than male hognose snakes.
How big do Western Hognose Snakes get?
Western Hognose snakes (also known as Heterodon Nasicus and Texas Hognose Snake), resides in the western parts of North America. Again, males are much smaller than females. Their total length will usually be (including the tail) between 15 to 20 inches (38 to 51 cm). These snakes then are smaller than Eastern Hognose Snakes
How big do Southern Hognose Snakes Get?
Southern Hognose snakes (also known as Heteradon Simus), resides in the Southern areas of Northern America. These snakes are probably the rarest of the Hognose snakes, since they are threatened species. Adult snakes vary in length from 35.5 cm to 61 cm (14 inches to 24 inches). Therefore, they can be larger than Western Hognose Snakes, but they are smaller than Eastern Hognose snakes.
Full Grown Hognose Snake Weight And Length
It is crucial that you know how much a fully grown hognose snake weighs and how long it can grow to, as then you can easily adjust its habitat conditions. Furthermore, knowing this will allow you to give the Hognose Snake the optimum care it needs
Male Hognose Snake size
Male hognose snakes are the smaller ones of the two genders. They vary in size depending on where they are from. On average they can grow to a maximum of 14-22 inches (up to around 2 feet), with Eastern Hognose snakes growing the largest. Male Hognose snakes also will weigh at maximum, between 150 to 350 grams (sometimes even more).
Female Hognose Snake size
Female Hognose snakes grow a lot larger than male snakes both in length and weight. They can grow on average from 14 to 28 feet (around 3 foot- therefore a foot higher than a male). Then they are much heavier, with a weight which normally does nor surpass 800 grams. Therefore, you do need to think about where you keep it and how big it may grow.
What Is The Size Of Their Clutch And Babies?
A clutch is a collection of snake eggs and babies. Female Hognose Snakes will lay between 8 to 25 eggs- and on average will have around 12 to 14- but this ultimately varies on the health, the age and the size of the female Hognose Snake. Some may produce a lot more within a clutch and others will produce a lot less. It varies on a lot of parameters mainly linking to health.
How Big Are Hognose Snakes Babies
A baby Hognose Snake will be 5-7 inches long at birth. They will weigh between 23 to 35 grams. After 8 months to a year, a male will weigh between 50 to 60 grams and are mature enough to breed with other Hognose Snakes. Females, however, will have to be 16 to 18 months old and weigh between 200 to 250 grams to mate and breed.
What Terrarium Enclosure Tank Size To Get For Hognose Snakes?
For an adult Hognose snakes- a 20-gallon aquarium set up is ideal. These snakes, however, do need a fair amount of floor space- headspace is less of a concern. When the Hognose snake is starting out, then a 5-10-gallon Aquarium.
If you are thinking of getting a tub, then an ideal size for an adult is from 28 to 32 Quart tub (ideal for a rack system!). When the snake is starting out, then the ideal size is around 6 Quart (rack system).
How Fast Do Hognose Snakes Grow
Hognose snakes have an average life expectancy of 15 to 18 years- depending on how they are cared for. Snakes in general tend to grow throughout their entire life. However, most snakes grow at faster rates between 6 to 8 years. Female Hognose snakes will obviously grow much more than male Hognose snakes. Some people may find it difficult at first to determine what gender their hognose snake is due to the size- however as it grows you can easily determine what gender it is by measuring its length
How Long Does It Take For Hognose Snakes Grow To Their Full Size?
Again, as previously mentioned, Hognose snakes (and other snakes for that matter), will grow continuously throughout its life getting bigger and bigger. Because of that, they have optimum growth periods therefore on average it will be 6 to 8 years before they reach their maximum weight and length.
Comparison Between Different Hognose Snakes
Western Hognose Snakes
Found within Western North America. As previously mentioned, their scientific name is Heterodon Nasicus (Heterodon being the Genus for North American Hognose Snakes and Nasicus for its species type). They reside in the Western parts of North America such as New Mexico, parts of Texas, Arizona and parts of Minnesota. They are the smallest of Hognose snakes- being the shortest in length and lightest in weight. They are a common pet then because of their size and weight.
A Western Hognose Snake, as mentioned will grow between 15 to 20 inches (38cm to 50cm). Therefore, they make popular pets as they are the smallest and they are also not under threat.
Their colours are yellow, tan, grey or dark brown. They also have black blotches and upturned rostral scales to help them when they are burrowing and catching prey.
Eastern Hognose Snakes
Found within Eastern North America. As previously mentioned, their scientific name is Heteradon Platirhinos (Heteradon being The Genus for The North American Hognose Snake and Platirhinos for its species type). They are the largest of the North American Hognose Snake on average, growing to a maximum of 71 cm (28 inches). Therefore, its is 19cm (8 inches) bigger than the largest Western Hognose Snakes. These snakes tend to reside in areas such as South Florida, South Ontario, New Hampshire and Western Texas.
However, it has been known that some Eastern Hognose Snakes have grown a lot larger than the average size- there are outliers! As previously mentioned, one was recorded at 116cm (46 inches). Therefore, it is almost twice the average size!
Their colours are grey, brown, green and black. They will also have rectangular spots- which look like eyespots. These are placed on their backs
Southern Hognose Snakes
Found within the Southern areas of North America. As previously mentioned, their scientific name is Heteradon Simus (Heteradon being the Genus and Simus being the species). These snakes are the only North American Hognose to be threatened. Therefore, it is exceedingly rare you will see them as pets. These snakes sit in the middle of Western and Eastern snakes in terms of size and weight.
These snakes will grow at maximum between 35.5 cm to 61 cm (14 inches to 24 inches) and will weigh between 46 grams to 120 grams.
Their colours area pattern made up of yellow red, grey and light brown. Following that they have a row of blotches which can be recognised easily.
Do Hognose Snakes Need A Heat Lamp?
As cold-blooded reptiles, it is crucial you allow these snakes to have a secure source of warmth and light within its enclosure. Without a lamp, the hognose snake may die- since it can’t find a suitable place of warmth. You must remember as well, keeping them as pets means they can’t just go out in the wild and find an area to gain warmth such as a burrow. Once they are a pet, they become domesticated and will be less suited to living in the wild.
Furthermore, a lamp ensures that the Hognose Snake is kept within their enclosure. If the enclosure was cold, they may escape and roam the house looking for warmth- therefore making it easier to lose the snake.
In Conclusion
The Hognose Snake (Genus Heteradon- North American), is a quite common pet then within reptile enthusiasts. They love the upturned like hog nose and just how unique this snake is. It is mildly venomous with short fangs, making it a lot safer than the likes of Pythons etc. The most common form is the Western Hognose- a perfect pet because of its size! Females are larger than males, and Hognoses from the Eastern areas tend to be the largest.
Hognose Snakes live for an average of 15-18 years depending on how it is treated and their overall health. They tend to mature very fast- since after a year from birth, males are ready to mate and after 16-18 months so are females! These snakes will continue to grow through their life- however they will grow rapidly for the first 6 to 8 years of their life. Females will give birth to 8 to 25 eggs and have a clutch varying on their health, age and size. On average it is 12-14 but this can vary hugely!
Only Southern Snakes are in danger. They are vulnerable and there is a lot less of them as pets. They are the least common form due to their threatened status. These snakes tend to sit in the middle between the Eastern and Western Hognoses.
