Sorry, Mom!

Scroll down quick, Mom! Don't look!

Yes, apparently Mike and I going to a reptile Expo is a bit like an alcoholic going to Mardi Gras, though in our defense, we did leave more than we took home with us! *drum kick*

Ok, ok, there's a backstory about the hognose snake: We've been in the market for nearly 5 years. What stood in our way was that the southern and eastern hognose species were picky eaters and preferred lizards and frogs over the much easier to find frozen mice. So we had passed on the cute hognose, but then we talked to some reptile breeders who said while the other species of hognoses were finicky, the western variety is hardier and will eat mice, especially if it's only had mice. So we named our hognose Dexter, after the Showtime show by the same name that we love.

Fun facts about Hognoses (c'mon, Mom, you might like these!)

• Part of the Heterodon family of snakes, they're also called "Blow Snakes" or "Puff Adders" because when confronted, the snake flattens out his neck into a hood and hisses loudly like a cobra.
• If this doesn't work, some try to feint a strike, but since they're rear fanged, they don't actually bite (their fangs are designed to deflate frogs), so it's a bluff.
• And, best of all, if that doesn't work, they play dead. And they go all out, on their backs, belly up, mouth open and tongue out in the "Q" sign! If you turn them back over, they'll just roll back over and play dead some more. Pretty funny, huh? Dexter hasn't done any of these because he's been handled so much, but I imagine one day we'll catch him off guard.