I want a REFUND on the hognose!!!!

[Lori P]

Ok, you may already be thinking, this type of thing should be taken care of privately, between Kevin (amievaboy) and I. However, I think this is something that all of you need to chime in on.

This morning-- this beautiful, sunny, breezy, gorgeous Virginia morning-- I wake up and sleepily go around turning on lights for the snakes... and THIS is the sight that hits me as I turn on the hognose lights-- the female hognose, DEAD in the water dish, floating upside down!!!!!

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Dead_hognose_001_resize.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Dead_hognose_001_crop.jpg

I am CRUSHED-- this is my first dead snake-- and I've only had them a couple of months. What did I do wrong????? I'm getting all teared up and worked up... I've killed a snake, I've killed this gorgeous hognose... I run and get my camera hoping you all can shed some light for me...

And let me add right here: I don't want a refund because I think Kevin sent me a sick snake. THIS is why I want a refund:

I lift the water bowl out of the tank, camera in hand to get a close up, anything that will help you all tell me what happened-- and THIS happens:

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Dead_hognose_002_resize.jpg

"Hello?? What are you doing?? I was having a perfectly good soak-n-nap, with my belly up and my head hanging under the water, and you dare disturb me??"

Hello. Now... follow me on this one. I consider this to be some kind of hognose/KEVIN conspiracy to torment unsuspecting new hognose owners and frighten them out of their wits. I think I'm entitled to some kind of recompanse for metal pain and suffering, don't you???

And here she still is, having a lovely soak, right side up... for now.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Dead_hognose_003_resize.jpg

Where are you Kevin??? YOU CAN'T HIDE FOR LONG!!!!! I owe you for this one buddy!!!!!! LOLOLOLOL

Erm... is this normal????????

[reptileparadise]

My god...that must have scared the **** out of you!
Thank god she's okay...Don't know if it normal though!

[dashnu]

jeesh, had me going for a bit! Im glad your snake is ok, a bit confused maybe but ok :)

[gregmonsta]

lol ... :) a snake prankster!!!

[adamanteus]

That must have been so upsetting for you, poor Lori! Thank God she's okay!
I guess she was just having a quiet swim/ then you go and turn the lights on! So she 'freezes'? Maybe if the lights had gone on 5 seconds later, she would have been in a more natural looking pose.

[Lori P]

LOL!!! Maybe so... there was plenty of daylight in the room, tho, and their lights have dimmers on them, so I can turn them up and down slowly, you know? But if this isn't something hognose do just for fun, lol, then something must have scared the beejeezuz out of her. I know she scared the beejeezuz out of me!!!!! She's out of the water now and buried somewhere, so I've just changed the water and called her nasty names just for good measure...

[Sid]

I would have freaked out:eek:. I kept a Western Hog for a couple of years and never saw anything like that out of her. Glad yours is OK.

[drache]

wow - she got you good
I've never had this happen with my hognose, but I've had loaches, who'd convinced me of their demise

[Zephyr]

wow - she got you good
I've never had this happen with my hognose, but I've had loaches, who'd convinced me of their demiseI almost flushed a clown loach once because I thought he was dead. XD

[Tori]

LMAO...I take it that no one warned you that hognose snakes will "play dead"? Like was said she must have been in the water when you turned the lights on and she flipped over and played dead. Wait unti she has babies and shortly after they exit the egg and see you, flip over and pretend to die! Then you will really freak! It is very common for all hognose, they will even have "death spazums (not spelled right) If you right them they will immediately flip back over and preceed to mess themselves and finally "die". It is all very dramatic and supposed to discourage anything from eating the "sick" snake.

[jeanette]

I think Tori has the best explanation for this one. ive never heard of anything like this ever happening with hognoses before but they do play dead. guess the snake was just playing dead in the wrong place.
Glad the snake is ok though. but roflmao how dare it scare you like this

[Tori]

I'm still laughing...can you imagine her suprise when she realized that she might actually drown herself if she didn't un-die?

[anji1971]

Oh good Lord, Lori! If it's not one thing it's another with you.............:D
Glad it was just an act, she certainly had ME convinced in that first pic!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

hahahahaha, good lord im glad she's okay... from that picture though she is definately not playing dead... they actually roll completely over flatten out, crap themselves and hang their tongue out of their mouth! it looks like you just caught her at an odd moment... Sledge does this to me all the time!!! he sees me and then boom he stops moving no matter what position hes in! lol!!!

[adamanteus]

it looks like you just caught her at an odd moment... Sledge does this to me all the time!!! he sees me and then boom he stops moving no matter what position hes in! lol!!!

That's exactly what I thought, Shannon. The light coming on just caused her to 'freeze' in that odd posture.:D

[Snake lover 3-25]

LOL mine scares me sometimes too..... he can stay under for soooooo long!!!!!!!:eek: :D LOL

[Stefan-A]

Congratulations on your new hognosed watersnake. :D

[jeanette]

Congratulations on your new hognosed watersnake. :D
roflmao is it a water-hog?

[Bay_area]

Western hognose snakes shed their tounges. Maybe that is what it was doing??? Did you find the tounge shed in the water? Anyhow, glad it was alright.

One of my females died this year:(. Not sure what happened, she was about 10 years old & the mother of about 50 babies over the last 5 years. On the bright side, my other female laid 7 eggs on May 2nd:D

[drache]

One of my females died this year:(. Not sure what happened, she was about 10 years old & the mother of about 50 babies over the last 5 years. On the bright side, my other female laid 7 eggs on May 2nd:D
sorry you lost one of your girls
what is their normal life-span anyway?

[adamanteus]

Western hognose snakes shed their tounges.


This is true of all snakes.;)

[Snaky]

What a great sight :D

Did you never had your thamnophis play dead? I have experienced it multiple times now with the concinnus babies. You take them out and suddenly they are 'lifeless', put their tongue out and let their head float to the side. Great sight :) . I can not open my hand though, they very quickly become alive again.

[Bay_area]

what is their normal life-span anyway?

Not sure, my oldest one(male) is 12 years old now:D

[guidofatherof5]

I found this thread and thought I would bump it up since it had been 3 years since the last post.
I got such a kick out of reading it. Makes me want to get a hognose.

[drache]

Steve
I am surprised you don't have one yet.

[Tyrel26]

It looks as though it fell into the water dish and froze that way lol, having a really good dream perhaps?

[flickerfriend]

A dream of playing dead and being set free in attempted burial? :D

[Ameivaboy]

Wow, my heart skipped a beat when I first read this- I was also very confused because I haven't sold any hognoses in quite sometime.

I have to admit I was pretty upset while reading the first few lines as I was wondering why an email or a phone call wasn't made so I could resolve this.

Glad it was a joke, at least now I know to fully inform people of hognoses playing dead when I sell them (which isn't often) I just assumed anyone purchasing them already knew about this trick of theirs.

If I remember correctly this was my personal pair I sent off during a rough period in my life and had to downsize my collection drastically.

well, I do feel better knowing this isnt a recent thread and my hoggies are fine and I don't have some pissed off person blasting me on the internet without contacting me lol

Cheers,
Kevin

[mustang]

haha u all got pranked started by a snake lol