How do we explain how other people,(most in fact),don't have a bad reaction like Troy's. I've been bit a few times as a feeding response. And held onto good. I had absolutely nothing. Not even a redness around the bite marks.

And that's a great question Mike! It even begs the question as to why only 2 out of 6 of my hognose bites resulted in a reaction, or why only 1 bite resulted in a bad reaction. Why?

Let's go with the allergy theory and come up with several hypothetical reasons why I might have had a reaction...

#1 I eventually developed an allergy to hognose saliva after several bites. (Regardless of whether hognose are actually venomous or not.)
#2 I eventually developed an allergy to hognose venom after several bites. (Assuming of course that hognose are venomous and I was envenomated.)
#3 If the first 4 bites were "dry" bites, then perhaps I'm allergic or more prone to showing reactions to hognose venom than others might be. (Assuming of course that hognose are venomous and I was envenomated.)

Let's say that even if any of the above are true, there are others out there other than myself that have had similiar reactions, some even worse than mine (Link to the famous Herpnet Hognose bite page). So I think it is very reasonable to believe that there are others who will also eventually suffer the same consequences of a hognose bite.

The bottom line is, isn't it up to us to inform those people of the possibilities of what they might be at risk for? Isn't it our responsibility to inform them and let them be the deciding factor in whether or not this is the right species for them to own based on the possible risks?

I have had worst reaction to Garter snake bites.

And yet another great example of a venomous, although considered harmless, colubrid that used to be considered non-venomous.

"Garter snakes were long thought to be nonvenomous, but recent discoveries have revealed they do, in fact, produce a mild neurotoxic venom. Garter snakes cannot kill humans with the small amounts of comparatively mild venom they produce, and they also lack an effective means of delivering it. They do have enlarged teeth in the back of their mouths, but their gums are significantly larger. The Duvernoy's glands of garters are posterior (to the rear) of the snake's eyes. The mild venom is spread into wounds through a chewing action." - Link

Thanks for posting Mike!
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Troy Rexroth
Rextiles

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