The province of Alberta takes environmental and wildlife management very seriously. It is crucial to maintaining the proper balance in the ecosystem.
This also extends to pet ownership, as animals can escape or be let loose, which is especially bad if it is an invasive species.
There is also a general safety aspect to the regulations as well, as some species are deemed too dangerous to own.
With all that being said, what are the rules about owning a Hognosed Snake in Alberta?
Can you own a Hognosed Snake in Alberta?
Legality of Owning a Hognosed Snake in Alberta
You can not own a pet hognosed snake in Alberta, as they are currently listed on the Alberta Controlled Animals list.
More specifically, here is a list of all the restricted snakes in the same subfamily as Hognosed Snakes:
Typical Snakes (Family Colubridae)
Subfamily Colubrinae
- Eastern Racer (Coluber constrictor)
- Sharp-tailed Snake (Contia tenuis)
- Smooth Snakes (Coronella)
- Pere David’s Rat Snake (Elaphe davidi)
- Steppe Rat Snake (Elaphe dione)
- Hodgson’s Rat Snake (Elaphe hodgsoni)
- Black (Western) Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus)
- Red-backed (Chinese Garter) Snake (Elaphe rufodorsata)
- Russian (Amur) Rat Snake (Elaphe schrencki)
- Fox Snake (Elaphe vulpina)
- Eastern Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platyrhinos)
- Southern Hognose Snake (Heterodon simus)
All of these snakes are currently on the Alberta Controlled Animals List.
What about the Western Hognosed Snake?
You will notice that the Western Hognosed snake is not listed on the Alberta Controlled Animals list.
This should mean that technically, it is legal to own this specific species only, but it has been tricky to find definitive documentation on this.
The list is a Provincial level regulation, and towns and cities may have their own rules and bylaws at the municipal level.
Therefore, we recommend you check with your local bylaw or wildlife management authority on the Western Hognose snake in particular.
You should generally do this with any animal you wish to own as a pet anyway.
In general, the controlled animals list is a document that contains all the animals in Alberta that you can not own at all, or only with special permits and permissions. Usually researchers or zoos.
Source: View the Controlled list here
Screenshot from the Alberta Controlled Species list showing the subfamily of Typical Snakes that contains Hognosed Snakes and many others.
In Summary
- You can not legally have a Hognosed Snake in Alberta without permits
- The Eastern Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platyrhinos) and the Southern Hognose Snake (Heterodon simus) are both listed as controlled
- Many other snakes from the same subfamily of Typical Snakes are also on the controlled animals list
