Just picked up my hognose from a reptile expo and as soon as I put her in there. She heads to the water bowl and drinks for 2 minutes straight, took a break and is continuing to drink. Is it normal?
What a cool gif thanks for including that
Np Bandit McHissybutt sometimes takes a sass break to chew his water
His name made my day a little better :)
I gave him his first name...he earned the last one
I see we share similar taste in sassy reptiles. Mine has a "normal" name but I forever refer to him as Butthead becuase he is, undoubtably, a butthead.
His official species is Buttheadus derpicus, also known as a California Kingsnake Derpnoodle.
Yeah when I got my hamster she was in the cage with a bunch of other hamsters and a horrible wheel that was tiny and a see-through hideout and a really bright and hot heat lamp and she's from northern China that's where she originated and they were being really cruel they grabbed her by the scruff and it was not nice very very rude pet stores are not that good of caretakers
Man I used to take videos of my snake drinking all the time. I wish my old phone didn't break smh
In my experience, when my hognose goes for a drink he guzzles it, and then seems to forget that water exists for a week, guzzles some more, rinse and repeat
Especially after being at an expo, poor gal was probably just thirsty and wanted to drink a lot. Keep an eye on it, if she continues to drink a lot over the coming days then be extra vigilant for RI symptoms
This is me. Drinking a full cup of water once every 3 hours because I forget to drink and then get thirsty
Yep! Totally normal! As others have mentioned, they get super thirsty while waiting for you at an expo! She's just happy to be home and getting the husbandry she deserves! Congratulations on the new snek friend!!
My guy is closing in on 2 years old and I've still never seen him drink. He does, hes still alive and the bowl does go down but hes so stealthy. Right now is actually the first time I've seen him in blue. Hes either hidden in his humid hide or hiding in his substrate when he sheds but hes found one of the logs I put in there to be a safe place and I've seen him just stay in there for the past few days. His little bum bum is hanging out.
The smallest cutest bum I’ve ever seen.
He’s such a little cutie! I adore hognoses, mostly because they’re cute but also for their drama.
Even with opaque eye scales he sensed me watching him and informed me he wasn't pleased with the usual hisses. https://immich.johnopi.com/share/hDG3jpBU7y7oGPlcXC80s2DekCHCMusmUoxENXZGQRdpmE3TNds78DVpf1Q5An3k0eo
I’ve had mine a little over two years and have only seen him drink twice lol they’re so secretive about it
Reptile expos are not a nice place to be as a snake. He was probably dehydrated but you are giving him a way better situation than the one he was in earlier that day!
I got a scorpion from a shop that had him in a dry deli cup.
I noticed him drinking condensation from his fresh substrate before I was able to top off his water dish, so I squirted water in front of him. It hit his face and he just started drinking, so I kept a steady stream on his face until he showed signs he was done, then he went to his water dish for more.
You KNOW an invertebrate is thirsty if it lets you blast it in the face with water and doesn't even flinch.
whenever our snakes drink, they always drink like theyve never seen water in their life, even though the water bowl is there 24/7 🙄 but yes it's normal that your new friend was drinking for so long!
Mine does that too, and he has two water bowls ;-;
Is straw shaped so it will act as one. Thorsty
Filling her tank
My Burmese will sit next to her water dish never touches it for a week. Then when I refill it she's draining the freaking thing in one try. My boa does the same thing.
As everyone else said, reptile expos SUCK. And your new little friend is probably stressed. They would probably appreciate a few days of extra extra care - lots of time alone w/ no interruptions, nothing overwhelming, just correct conditions, plenty of water, lots of hiding space and time to acclimate.
Perfectly normal. Just thirsty from being stuck in a container for so long!
Probably thirsty from the trip, especially if its not from local areas
Shess so cute, thirsty lil lady
Poor wee snakey (Expo causing dehydration) I'm glad they're in the care of someone who'll watch out for them and I hope you get to connect with your new noodle 😊
Went to the Houston show today and was really disappointed at how poor the husbandry was. We don't plan on returning back to that show.
Explain why please
Different commenter, but I went to my first expo a few weeks ago, and a couple of the sellers had the snakes in very tiny circular tubs with lids. That struck me as improper, but I didn’t know for sure. Does this harm the snakes, or since it is only for about two days is it ok?
In my experience those are just temporary homes for a few days to go to the expo then at the expo and to go home. Either the purchasers or the breeders/importer. I'm my area they generally are months apart . Snakes for example feel more secure when it can touch the side of their hides and being transported in the plastic tubs where they can touch the sides are less stressful for the animals .
Thank you!
That’s normal, they have to display several snakes at the same time and it can be difficult to do that if they’re all given enclosures big enough for them to move in. They’re only in those tiny circular tubs with lids for 3-4 days tops (taking the day/s of transportation going to the expo into account) which is really nothing for a snake. It’s not exactly ideal, but it won’t kill or hurt the snake in any way.
Thank you!
"Dear heavens it was scolding in that container"
(lil dudes probably fine XD)
for an animal purchased at an expo, unfortunately this will happen.
Maybe she was very thirsty.
I’d imagine it was dehydrated and needed all all that water, ie they do need Water, they are a living animal. Probably didn’t have water at the shop, tells a story of how they keep there reptiles.
Yea you got it from a reptil expo they don’t care about their animals, thing is prolly thirsty as hell
No. It isn't. They will drink that much when severely dehydrated. It takes a while to dehydrate a snake. They were stressing these guys
Sounds like it was probably a kind expo for the snake. Sure it was just getting dehydrated and needed a good drink. Sounds like the snake went to a better home, than the one you bought it from . Congrats to you & the snake
She terstie
Little guy was most likely just dehydrated since sellers on expos barely give them water aand the snakes are under bright lights several days straight.
I’m convinced my hoggie is part camel. Her water dish is big enough for her to soak in; every day I fill it, every day she drains it dry by the next morning.
Sounds like it was just thirsty AF
Thirpsty
She was just super thirsty after getting back from the expo. You have to remember that these animals are usually not fed and given water a few days before the expo so they’re not pooping and peeing themselves all over their small plastic containers. And for the entire reptile expo duration, they’re literally just there in those containers. So it’s really not surprising that the first thing she did when seeing a water bowl was get herself hydrated lol. She’ll be alright.
pointy straw
I kept a hognose for a couple of years. It was one of the most chill snakes I'd ever held.
Thirmsty
Totally normal! I’m a snake breeder (also just got home from vending an expo this weekend). The lights, dryness, and being without their water bowl for a couple of days makes them thirsty. Snakes also get a lot of their hydration from their food. A lot of breeders don’t feed the week before a show. I always give our snakes a quick soak before packing them up for shows so that they at least start off nice and hydrated and I feed them 4-5 days before. That does make them more likely to pee/poop at the expo but it’s worth it for my babies to be hydrated and happy 😊
Been a rough day for the wee babe
It takes a while for some snakes to drink, but she was probably very thirsty. Poor baby.
My Colombian boa did the same thing. That was back in 08. I could see gulps of water going down his throat.
yep, normal. snakes get thirsty too. If it's listless. do take it to the vet. That's when you need to worry. Of course, it's normal for snakes not to move much at times, especially during winter or in the daytime.
Could be pretty normal. In expos sellers often fail to provide water, also the snake can get anxious with all the attention. Just let her settle in for a couple of days and see how she does.
Yes
Your snake has syphilis, your snake needs a scarlet letter
No telling how long it's been since she had a drink. I don't think I'd worry to much unless she does it all the time. But I'm a new snake mom so I could be wrong.
I don’t have any advice I just wanted to say she is super cute! I love hognoses 🐽
Maybe this is along the same lines? When we would go on vacation, we’d bring the dog. The dog would go crazy for the water. Mom would ration. It was like the dog was getting a treat and couldn’t get enough of it. After the second day she seemed my acclimated to the taste and it was no longer a treat. Maybe?
just make sure she paces herself 🤣🤣 let her get a few gulps then pull her away/move the bowl
This is why before shipping or even if someone has a long drive I soak the animal the night before. It allows them to get well hydrated.
Dehydration you moron
I think they know that you moron, they're asking why
I love snakes. I think they are cool.
But the folks acting like that snake is happy to be captive are ludicrous.
Chances are that snake doesn’t know any different. Let’s take you out of the comforts of society and toss you back into the wild, see how you manage. 😂
Reptiles can live on average twice as long in captivity than in the wild.
i tell people its the same for cats but they just... dont believe me? majority of people on Instagram apparently think all animals should live outside lol
cats are 1000x worse because they are the number one most destructive invasive animal per individual. Keep your cats inside people!
edit: this reminds me of people in my neighborhood complaining about foxes and owls because their outdoor cats might get hurt. Like… lady, you live in a subdivision, you don’t need a barncat. Leave the cat inside and let the foxes be.
Not to mention that they are complaining because the native predator species are eating the invasive species pet.
Don't get me wrong, I love cats. But everything is on the menu for something else.
Exactly, you can’t get mad at a predator species for eating a prey species, even if that prey species is a pet of yours. Predators gotta eat too. And it’s a pet owner’s responsibility to make sure that their pets are safe and indoors.
I live reasonably close to a peregrine falcon nesting site. There is a group that maintains a live feed camera on the nesting site and when the chicks are fledging volunteers go out and watch in case any don't quite have the wind beneath their wings yet. They will get the birds to a vet if needed/possible. Pretty cool!
All season, people get soooo excited about meal time shots. Mainly because 95% of their observed diet is pigeons and the occasional rat.
The nesting site is smack in the middle of a yellow oriole migration route. When those get caught hoooo-boy. People go nuts!
One year, the camera "went down" for a few hours. Apparently, one of the birds caught a small cat. Instead of dealing with peoples heads exploding on the chat forums and possibly losing volunteer and financial donations, they just took the camera off-line, let the birds eat and then "fixed the glitch" when they were done.
Just goes to show how fast people will change the team they root for.
majority of people on Instagram apparently think all animals should live outside
That’s because they’re stupid and don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about. They have this oddly romanticized view of life in the wild where animals are all living together in harmony and singing koombayah. When the reality is that it’s kill or be killed, eat or be eaten. Snakes eat birds and rodents sure, but they’re also prey to owls, foxes, cats, etc. I bet if they knew the difference between captive and wild life, they’d pick captive because they’d basically be getting free food and be safe from animals that want to eat them.
Exactly, back then herpetologists used to think that ball pythons only lived about 10-15 years based on wild specimens. But once these animals started to be kept and bred in captivity, they realized that with a regular supply of food and access to veterinary care, these animals could live to their 30s-40s. The oldest recorded ball python in captivity is 62 and she’s still alive and well at St. Louis Zoo!
Doubt the fish you caught wanted to be dragged into the air and held up like a trophy with a hook in their guts for your selfie but here we are.
Touche
Tbf it's unlikely snakes experience joy or emotions in general so the fact that the basic needs are now being met is about as close as a snake can get to happy
A snake could care less whether it’s out in the wild or in a terrarium/tub. So long as it gets a regular supply of food and is safe from any predators, it’s happy. If they had the capacity to think, I bet you most snakes would pick a captive life where they get a regular supply of food, are safe from bigger animals that want to eat them, and have access to veterinary care over a wild life where food can be scarce and everything wants to kill or eat them.
Most reptile expos are terrible on husbandry because they just want to sell. No hides, little to no water, bright lights, and getting picked up and stuffed back over and over.
Usually it's only for a few days so it's not life threatening but the expo atmosphere is about as far as what a reptile wants as you can get.
On the upside you got a cool snake drinking photo which can be hard to get
https://imgur.com/a/KCYQh1k