playing dead...

[hydrogen cricket]

has your hognose ever played dead on you and if so, did it only do it the first time you got it or does it do it frequently???

 

[Colchicine]

It is important to rememeber that "playing dead" is a metabolically expensive behavior that most hogs will only do when they are first captured. Because they only do it when they feel their life is threatened, no one should try to induce this behavior. It puts an enormous amount of stress on them.
To answer you question, I have observed it only once in a captive E hog.

 

[Glenn Bartley]

I had, many years ago, an Eastern W/C adult that used to do it somewhat frequently. The snake was released back to the wild becaus eit would not eat regularly.

I have had some Westerns perform this, but only once or twice. I do have a two year old Western Hognose female that performs the other role of Hognose Snakes and, she does it frequently. She often spreads her 'hood' and hisses loudly while moving her head rapidly from side to side in fake strikes.

 

[Rattlesnake]

I haven't had the pleasure of seeing a 'Hognose' flare up like that. I would really like to see it spread its head.

 

[Nichalia]

Hah, my W. Hognoses like to act all scary sometimes for the pinkies. And for me, if they're feeling particularly rowdy. They curl up, and breathe reeeeally deep so that their bodies look a lot bigger, and each breath is this really menacing, rattling hiss. And they'll puff up their cheeks (which sort of gives 'em more of a triangular head, like a rattlesnake... but really it just makes them look even more adorable) and hiss loudly and flatten out a little hood (it's nowhere near as impressive as a cobra's, but you have to give 'em credit for trying). And then if they're still pissy, they'll strike out.

It's hysterical (but don't laugh, you'll hurt their feelings). With their puffy cheeks and faux hood, they'll throw themselves in your general direction with a very loud hiss, acting like they're going to strike.

One of my Hogs escaped his cage once, and he decided to curl up in the corner of the stairway and hiss threats and me and my two cats. At one point, my hand was about two inches from the pissy little snake, and he was mock-striking left and right (I was subduing the cat, at that moment). Two inches and half a dozen strikes later, he'd never even hit me. He just threw himself out with a big angry hiss and missed the target completely.

All for show, hognoses. All for show.

I've never seen a W. Hog play dead; none of mine do it. Captive Easterns apparently are more prone to doing it than captive Westerns.

 

[Evil Elvis]

Onbe of my females flattens her neck all the time. I have also had several baby westerns play dead freshly hatched but not do it again.

 

[Nichalia]

!

Oh my god that's adorable.

 

[redknee]

My hoggy played dead when i first got him home over a year ago i thought he actually died at the time, he flipped over on his back with his mouth open and his tongue was also hanging out. He was a rescue job poor poor thing had no where to hide and had a thin bit of kitchen towel as substrate o_0 he looked more like a toblerone than a snake
and the idiot who had him was wondering why he wasnt eating and having shedding problems!
hes fine now and has put on alot of weight
heres a pic of him now

 

[ladyserpent7]

hey evil elvis, what kinda hognose is the yellow one in the picture ive never seen one like that. its so cut

 

[Evil Elvis]

Its an albino western.

 

[ilovesnakes]

i'm getting a western hognose very soon and if it plays dead frequenly i will reply as soon as possible!