Chocolate hognose snake

[fishhead]

On tonights hike I stopped to see if the chocolate hognose I saw a few weeks ago was still in the same spot. It was and this time I brought my camera.

You'll notice the eyes are sky blue. Is that a sign of a pending molt or is it blind? Do they normally have a home place that they return to after hunting?

[OkieDavid]

It's getting ready to molt. No worries and yes, as long as they are finding enough to eat they will stay put. I think they are a really neat snake. If you've never seen it done, they will "false strike" as their first defense. They know not to actually hit you or the gig is up so they will deliberately miss. If you pick them up and shake them like a dog/coyote would, they will turn over on their back and open their mouth, stick their tongue out and play dead......twist them back over to their stomach and they will immediately roll back onto their backs.....Cool snakes and tame down well if you are of a mind to keep one.

[Paquebot]

Interesting color variation. All that I have ever seen had the markings rather distinct. Beautiful snake nevertheless.

Cloudy eyes often are a sign of getting ready to molt. Rattlesnakes are more dangerous at that time as they often strike at movement without caring what it is.

Snake staying in same area this time of the year generally means that it's close to its winter den. As the weather warms, they move out to seek more prey.

Martin

[fishhead]

This is the first off colored one I've found. That area is good for them because of the dry sandy soil and pines.

I did find a 6" one this spring not too far from this one but it was crushed on the logging trail. It was the normal light dark patched pattern.

[bajiay]

Sorry...but the words chocolate and snake do not go together!!!!

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by bajiay

Sorry...but the words chocolate and snake do not go together!!!!

How about chocolate spiders...

[JasoninMN]

That is pretty neat. I wish we had hog noses up here!

[fishhead]

We've also got red bellied and grass snakes. If I leave the scrap metal roofing in the garden just right I can count on finding them when I pick it up.

[TedH71]

They can be hard to feed mainly due to their highly preferred diet of toads. The can be trained to switch to mice...how? Get a frozen toad and rub it all over the mouse and offer the mouse to the snake. Go with dead mouse at first..some of them prefer live food.