Start With the Species Briefing This Snake Demands
A hog-nosed snake's paperwork should open with a short species briefing, because this snake's defense display frightens anyone who has not read about it first. Explain on paper that a hog-nosed snake may hiss loudly, flatten its neck, strike with its mouth closed, and finally roll over and play dead — and that all of it is bluff, best answered by leaving the snake alone until it calms down. Note honestly that the species is rear-fanged and mildly venomous: a bite requires the snake to chew, so the practical rule for the boarder is minimal handling, no hand-feeding, and tongs for any food offered. A boarder who expects the drama will handle a display calmly instead of rushing the snake to a vet for acting.
Feeding Records That Prevent a Hunger Strike
A hog-nosed snake's feeding record is the most valuable page after the contacts, because this species is famous for refusing food in a new place. Write down the last several feeds with dates as you record them at home — what was offered, whether it was taken, and any scenting or presentation trick that works for your individual snake, since many hog-nosed snakes only accept prey prepared a particular way. Tell the boarder plainly that a refused meal during a short stay is common and not an emergency, and whether you want a second attempt made or feeding left entirely until the snake is home. That one instruction prevents both over-offering, which stresses the snake further, and panicked phone calls.
Contacts in Order, Vet First Among Equals
A hog-nosed snake's emergency list should name a reptile vet specifically, not a general practice, because a clinic that rarely sees snakes may misread this species' theatrics or its needs. List yourself first, then the reptile vet with address and hours, then an after-hours emergency clinic you have confirmed will take a snake, then a local backup contact who could collect the animal. Beside the list, note the enclosure details the boarder maintains in your absence: the temperature gradient your setup runs, deep loose substrate for burrowing, a water bowl, and the secure lid — a hog-nosed snake spends its time digging, and a lid lifted for a look must be fastened straight back down.
Permission and the Signs That Are Real
Include signed permission for a hog-nosed snake's boarder to authorize urgent veterinary care if you cannot be reached, with your preferred order of contact attempts and how payment is handled. Then use the same page to separate theater from genuine trouble, so the permission gets used for the right things. Real concerns for this snake include labored or open-mouth breathing, a retained shed building up over the eyes, an injury from enclosure furniture, or the snake found cold after a heat failure. Playing dead, hissing, and refusing one meal belong on the do-not-panic list printed right beside them.
The Folder Itself
Build a hog-nosed snake's travel folder as care sheet, species briefing, feeding record, contacts, and permission note — five pages, no more, in that order. Add a labeled photo of your snake so identification is instant among other boarders, and a short list of the supplies that arrived with it. Keep your own photographed copy of every page. Pulling those pages together as the snake's Pet Passport in KinsLe means the boarder reads one organized record — bluff warnings, feeding tricks, vet order — rather than piecing your snake together from scattered notes.