JMG Reptiles not so good..

Originally Posted by CJReptiles

Don't go trashing my son, he is 13. I have been breeding and selling reptiles my whole life and my son does the same. He sold some hatchling Ball Pythons of his to make the money. He is very responsible with his money and as I said it was a surprise so he said he was going to the bathroom before we left.. I am not going to get any satisfaction from the seller so he learned a valuable lesson albeit an expensive one.

Christopher, no one is trashing, he is terrific and a chip off the old block
We were just discussing the fact that he is a minor and so, for a small filing fee in small claims court you/he could get satisfaction from the seller; as your son may if he wishes void the contract of sale on the grounds that he is a minor.
You might bring this thread and pictures with you if you choose to do that, and of course your son. You could also have your son include in the suit shipping costs back unless the seller shows, pays, and takes the critter back with him..

Originally Posted by Bobby Douglass

Have you gone to any hognose forums or contacted any breeders like the seller suggested?

I'm wondering this, too.

Yes Kristi.. They are in agreement that it is more than cosmetic and can lead to death.

http://static.photobucket.com/player...etailpart2.mp4

saw your post on BOI, these over time get worse and worse and some develop secondary infections that can rupture and kill the snake. I have seen some that seem benign and some that become quite bad. It is a mechanical issue that I believe comes from too dry substrate , fecal dust, stuck shed in the glands etc etc.. eventually causes the ducts to close off. Start providing regular soaks for all your hoggies this will help prevent it. A hide box with a damp medium works well in conjunction.
The procedure above works well, but does carry a risk of immediate secondary infections. Do it at your own risk. It's does not cure the issue only manages it.
Hope she does well for you,
Justin Mitcham
ExtremeHogs.com

Originally Posted by Lucille

Post # 2 says he is 13.

I know Chris and his son very well. He's very mature for his age, knows his stuff in regards to snakes, and doesn't look like he's 13.

Chris, hope you're able to get the issue resolved!

I don't see the issue seller sold a sick snake, buyer should either be refunded or animal replaced with a healthy one. I am not a large breeder of hognose but have had my share and I have never heard or seen a scent gland infection sounds similar to a ball python with a hemipene infection. good luck hope the situation is resolved soon.

I worked at both the Myrtle Beach and Daytona show this year and as most of you know i only work with and sell Western Hognose,I had a tremendous interest in my product from the younger crowd as always. I would have to say that it's the parents responsibility to help the kids make the correct choices and parent supervision is a must at my table.As for the snakes health,I will only give you my true experiences with Western Hognose,swollen scent glands is VARY common in older adult female Western Hognose,if we were talking about a male Western Hognose that would be a different story in it's self. Normally swollen scent glands starts to show up when the female reaches around 300 grams and four to five years age.I have one eleven year old yellow adult female that has had enlarged scent glands for years and I consider her to be in great health,you can see a photo of her in the new Western Hognose Morph book.

I'm so confident that the snake you purchased from JMG is good health that I will purchase her from you and cover the shipping as well.

Brent Bumgardner
Superconda.com

I'm so confident that the snake you purchased from JMG is good health that I will purchase her from you and cover the shipping as well.

What an absolutely generous and selfless offer ... and from someone with (IMO) a stellar rep, stunning Hogs and experience that speaks for itself.

Originally Posted by LauraB

What an absolutely generous and selfless offer ... and from someone with (IMO) a stellar rep, stunning Hogs and experience that speaks for itself.

I agree, that is a wonderful offer.

While it does sound like there are varying opinions about whether or not the swollen glands are unhealthy or not, I would suggest you staying away from trying to get a refund on the grounds that your son is a minor.

When I was a kid I was very active on Fauna. This was back in 2004-2005 when I was just a bit older than your son. A lot of members regarded me as a responsible and knowledgable kid, but a kid nonetheless. When I purchased some snakes, and then lost them to what was later found out as a wiring issue with the rack I owned at the time I had a hard time dealing with it and went through the BOI meat grinder with the seller. It was hard to deal with as a kid, and turned me away from reptiles for quite some time because I figured I could never bounce back from some of the terrible things written in the thread. I'm glad to say that's no longer the case as I've started building a good reputation as both a buyer and a seller, but at any rate I'd only pursue a refund on the grounds of the snake being less than advertised. Not on the grounds that your son was too young to have made the purchase, because one of my excuses at the time was age and that I didn't have parental consent and it was just stacked onto the reasons why I messed up.

Sorry for being long winded, and hopefully your son can remain enthusiastic about his reptiles!

Michael Fortier

Here's a picture of a severely swollen musk gland. Does this look benign?? Why on earth would you be willing to accept this in your collection..I wouldn't!! How can you tell someone this is normal, it isn't, you will almost never see this in a WC specimen. It is a husbandry/captive issue.
This is what will happen to some of the females that develop this condition, the gland will continue to enlarge until it becomes infected, ruptures and the hognose dies. A Vet will tell you the same thing. This is as benign as it looks.

Many breeders are very heavily invested into hognose. Myself included. So we have something to loose if people stopped buying hogs because of these issues. My personal belief is some breeders are ignoring the problem, saying it doesn't exist or misrepresent the severity of it. 1st and foremost to avoid all arguments take the animal to a vet and see what they have to say..it wont be encouraging. You would think with 25-50% impaction rates that some of these breeders would of invested some time and effort to do this. Seems like they haven't since they only offer opinions, no causes or remedies. This is an epidemic both of the mind and species.
The video shown is a joint project taken trying to solve this issue or at the very least keep it manageable. It has been determined that the cause appears to be mechanical in nature..due to drying of the ducts.. dry bedding and not enough time soaking seems to be the culpit. Today much of my collection except for the older girls are free of this issue due to frequent soaks + moisture from a hide box. I'd like to challenge these guys to keep higher standards please, seek medical attention for there animals and please don't pass this issue on to the customer.
All of my animals featured in the new Hognose book..which is quite a few..are completely healthy and disease/condition free. Just as it should be.
All the Best,
Justin Mitcham
ExtremeHogs.com