Western Hognosel question (tail tip)

[Tarantuloid]

I have a baby Western Hognose and even though his tail has looked like this since he came in the mail, I wanted to ask out of curiosity.

The tip of my hognose's tail is really thick like the one in this image http://www.geckobabies.com/images/hognose/snow/2012_hognose_snow2.jpg where the tip is slightly bent downwards. I'm working on getting a picture of mine, but is this normal for baby hognoses?

The reason I'm asking is I saw this image and noticed how the tail was really tapered at the end straight http://www.google.com/imgres?newwin...nh=174&tbnw=201&start=0&ndsp=24&tx=163&ty=105

 

[pitbulllady]

It sounds like he might have several layers of accumulated skin shed that failed to slough off. This is actually very common in young Colubrid snakes and can result in the loss of the tail tip due to restricted blood flow. As the snake grows, the old skin doesn't, and it gets tighter and tighter. If at all possible, could you post photos? It could be that, but it could also be an injury to the tail that has gotten infected and is swollen. There could also be a genetic factor involved if yours is a morph, like the Snow in the first pic. Keep in mind, though, that in Colubrids, most males have a longer, thinner tail while females' tails tend to be shorter. A photo would at least rule out whether the tail really looks abnormal or is withing normal range of appearance, like the two in the photos.

pitbulllady

 

[Tarantuloid]

That sounds like the case, he recently just shed his skin for the first time since I got him back in late May but I don't think it helped his tail that much. Mine actually isn't a morph, and according to the breeder that sold him to me, he is a male hognose.

These were taken with my phone so they aren't the highest quality, I always knew the tail looked a little weird before, but after this recent shed, it looks slightly different now.

 

[pitbulllady]

Kinda hard to tell from the pic quality, which I know you can't control, but it looks like a tail kink, where the vertebrae in the tail tip are fused and bent. Most of the time, this is just a common "birth defect" that results from the positioning inside the egg, but it can be genetic, too. There is also the chance that the snake's tail got broken after it hatched, perhaps by having a lid closed on it, and the bone fused in this position. It should not have any impact on the snake's health or its function as a pet, however. You just really have to watch that all the skin sheds from the tail, especially with a bend like that, and does not build up. It might be useful, after a shed, to take a bit of baby oil and GENTLY massage the tip of the tail just to make sure any shed that might have been retained is loosened. Tail kinks are not much to be concerned, but since they are sometimes genetic, and those kinks can show up further up the spine in later generations, you might not want to think about breeding this particular snake. Just watch for retained sheds, and any unusual signs like blood around the scales or swelling that might indicate infection, but otherwise, I don't think there should be any issues with this.

pitbulllady

 

[Tarantuloid]

Yeah I apologize about the picture quality, he always had this small kink in his tail since he came in the mail, but I never really looked into it because it never bothered him much. Perhaps I should try that baby oil and gently massage the tip, as I didn't know you could use baby oil on a snake.

Don't worry, I didn't buy this hognose with the intentions of breeding him. I was simply looking for a single hognose and managed to find a baby for a good price. Thank you for the advice!