Hognose snake: playing dead doesn't mean less stressed
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
The eastern hognose snake is famous for its theatrical finale: belly up, mouth open, tongue lolling, sometimes even a foul smell for good measure, it fakes its own death convincingly enough to fool most predators. This species has no dedicated profile on Planète Pets, but a recent field study on this behaviour is worth knowing for any reptile keeper, including owners of its more commonly kept cousin, the western hognose snake. Our travel and safety guidance is gathered in the reptile travel and safety section.
A field study on adrenal capacity and stress
Megen Kepas, Helen-bond Plylar, Cody Godwin, Emily Virgin, Susannah French and Alan Savitzky published an assessment in 2025, in the journal Herpetological Conservation and Biology, of adrenal sufficiency in the eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos), a species known for adrenal glands disproportionately larger than other snakes'. The researchers sorted the reaction of captured wild snakes into three categories — fleeing, active defence (neck-flattening, hissing, mock strikes), or death-feigning — then compared the rise in plasma corticosterone tied to each. The result: that rise did not differ significantly depending on which behaviour the animal displayed.
What this changes about reading behaviour
A motionless, seemingly resigned snake is not necessarily any less physiologically taxed than one hissing or trying to flee.
- Don't take reassurance from a snake "playing dead" during handling or transport: its outward calm does not reflect a lower hormonal stress response, according to this study.
- Cut handling short even when the snake looks still or listless, rather than extending the session on the assumption it is simply "settling down" just because it has stopped struggling.
- Allow recovery time after any capture event (weighing, transport, a new enclosure), whether it played out as fleeing, defensive posturing, or full immobility, given this species' apparent capacity for particularly strong stress hormone surges.
This principle pairs with guidance already covered for another commonly kept snake in our article on transport and container restraint in ball pythons.
Frequently asked questions
Is death-feigning harmful to the snake's health?
The behaviour itself is not described as harmful in this study; it is mainly a signal not to misread as a sign of calm or acceptance of handling.
Does this result also apply to the western hognose snake, more common in the pet trade?
The study covers the eastern species; both species share the same family of defensive behaviours and comparably sized adrenal glands, which makes the principle plausible for the western species too, though it wasn't measured directly in it.
Should handling this species be avoided altogether?
No, brief, occasional handling remains without known consequence for a healthy animal; the key point is not to extend it just because the animal appears calm. Find all our guides on the reptile hub.
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Reptiles universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.