When shopping for a pet hognose snake, what you want is a CBB — Captive Bred and Born. WCs — wild caught — snakes are less likely to thrive as pets. If you’re at a pet store or at a reptile expo, ask about the snake’s breeder. If they can’t answer, it’s likely that the snake was wild caught. If you find a hatchling, it’s most likely from a breeder; very few hatchlings are collected from the wild.

North American hognose snakes are readily available from breeders in the US, and popular enough that most pet stores carry CBB Western hognose snakes. CBB Eastern and Southern hognoses are only available from breeders, and many WC Easterns (as well as a few Southerns) are still on the market.

Western hognose snakes are available in the following primary morphs. Morphs are more expensive than Normal, or wild-type snakes, but they come in a variety of fun patterns and colors. For picture references of the morphs, visit Extreme Hogs.

• Albino (note: predisposed to blindness)
• Anaconda (Conda)
• Axanthic
• Diablo
• Hypo
• Lavender
• Pink Pastel
• Snow
• Toffee

Don’t commit to buying the snake before you’ve had a chance to see it. Here are some questions to ask yourself in the process:

• Is it alert and responsive? (good)
• Is there a lot of curious tongue flicking going on? (good)
• Are the ribs or spine visible? (bad)
• Are there any injuries or scars? (bad)
• Do you see any kinks in the spine? (bad)
• Is the vent dry and flush with the rest of the body? (good)
• Can you hear wheezing/clicking while it breathes? (bad)
• Is there mucus around the mouth? (bad)
• Does the mouth close tightly, without scars or lesions? (good)
• Can you see any external parasites like mites or ticks? (bad)

Also ask the breeder/store owner these questions:

• How often does it eat, and what size of prey? Get a feeding video if possible.
• How well is it feeding on rodents?
• How many times has it eaten on its own?

Where to Buy Hognose Snakes

If you’re looking to buy a pet hognose snake, the best place to go is ReptiFiles’ official partner, HappyDragons.com! All breeders listed on the HappyDragons marketplace are thoroughly vetted for legitimacy and held to high standards in ethics and husbandry.