Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I saw the post below about the western hognose that bites and it made me think of this web site I ran up on a while back. You guys should really check out this western hognose envenomation it will blow your mind it was a bad bite. Im sure some of you have seen this but those of you that havent it will make you think twice when you pick your hognose up lol.

Micah
Bad hognose bite

Very lame in my opinion. Yes we all know they have toxic saliva. You can go lick a cane toad and get high but that doesn't mean I am going to be licking anytime soon. Very bad publicity for a great pet snake.....

This is actually old information that has been passed around many times. With a typical media-induced sensationalism in this case, you neglected to mention this was a quasi-experiment conducted which allowed the hognose to bite more than ever would be allowed under normal circumstances. Therefore, this website reveals what hogs are capable of doing, but not what will realistically happen.

There is a documented case of an 11yr old being hospitalized from a gartersnake bite, I have only second hand accounts of a lady being admitted for a hognose bite. It is important to emphasize when dealing information like this that depending on personal sensitivities, ANY bite from ANY animal is capable of producing the same results.
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"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Governor George W. Bush, Jr.

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

It's also important to emphasize that the bite was a feeding reaction, and not defensive. Bites from hognoses are almost entirely preventable.
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"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Governor George W. Bush, Jr.

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

This is why I usually dont post on message boards same old BS people always being Neg. I never said this will happen if you take a bite from an hognose. This was just something that I found interesting and shared it with the group. A bite from an hognose is very very uncommon and will usually cause no effect. I have been working with them most of my life and have only been bitten a hand full of times from feeding response or when holding one thats playing dead and just happen to hook a tooth in me while rolling with its mouth open. Out of those bites only one caused any symptons. It was a bite on my index finger by an eastern it caused a little swelling, turned a little red and itched a little. Im sorry if you thought I was trying to say a bite from an hognose is bad or that this could happen to you and, it wasnt ment to give the snakes a bad rap. I saw a web site I found it interesting and I shared it with the group.

Micah

Micah, it was a good post. Pay no mind to some people.
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Steve W.

The point of my post was not to be negative, rather it was to include some of the information I've felt was missing and integral to an explanation of the web site. Despite your intentions, you have to admit that you did play it up a bit! Some of your statements positively gave the impression that hognoses are dangerous, without any further explanation.

Keep in mind that when I replied to your post, I did not reply to you personally but to a public forum. Consistently, only 10% of the people that view any given forum will actually post and contribute. Therefore when I posted these forums I am not speaking to necessarily anyone in particular, but to the nine other people that view the forum and we never know even come by! Some of the things I say may be really old news to you, but chances are it is better to repeat some information for the sake of others.
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"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Governor George W. Bush, Jr.

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

but at the person letting a Hog chew on his hand. If it was a bona fide experiment than I apologize but it looked to me like it wasn't. Please don't let me ruin your fun.......lol

Just my opinion and observation from keeping western hognose for years. I've been keeping and breeding hogs for 6 years. I have never been bit, never! They hood up, hiss, and get real showy and then strike with their mouth closed. Whenever they strike in defense it has been with their mouth closed. I have come close to getting bit several times. It has ALWAYS been at feeding time.
I am thankful that someone was willing to conduct this experiment, share their experience, and post the pics. It is important to note that most of us would not leave ANY snake on our hand for that extended length of time and let them chew on us. If one of my hogs bit me in response to feeding, I would not leave it on my finger/hand and allow it to chew on me. The only time I have had a snake bite and hold on and allowed them to hold on was as a result of their feeding response. This happened to me with an adult male boa and adult female brooksi. I just didn't want to hurt them, damage their teeth, or jaw. So I dealt with it.
As far as how venomous is a hog, how dangerous is the bite, etc.
I'm 48 and have asthma as well as allergies (mostly hayfever). Not a great combination when it comes to getting envenomated. I've been stung by bees, hornets, and wasp. Better than 20x and closer to 30. Mostly because of the environment, wrong place at the wrong time. Not because I was messing with them. Thankfully I do not have an allergic reaction and it does not trigger my asthma. I do however swell up just like the person in the pics. Fingers, bottom of my foot, ankle, etc. swells just like the hand in the pic and it last for days.
This is why in my opinion the bite of a western hog is no worse than being stung, no more dangerous, etc. Keeping western hogs is a lot safer than keeping bees. Try maintaining bee hives and not getting stung, even with the suit. Whenever a customer ask about this topic, I advise them of my opinion as well as recommend that they not get involved if they are allergic to bee stings, etc.
Just my opinion
John Q

Good points!

I would like to add that there may not be a predictable pattern to who is sensitive to hognose bites. I have first-hand experience with an 80 year old lady who claimed she was "allergic to everything, even aspirin", and she had no problems with a very large female Eastern that bit her. She had previously been wearing a leather glove to handle owls, so it was a feeding response.
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"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Governor George W. Bush, Jr.

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin and Hobbes (Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink', 1991)

That was scary his hand was really swollen I am suprised he didnt go to the hospital intead took the risk of bigger complications.
He got lucky. I had no idea they would hold on like that and not be able to remove them.