I think this is one of those questions that's a bit confusing and in a lot of ways.

The problem is, there is a huge difference between what they do and what we allow them to do in captivity. And with hogs, its very true.

Its easy to see fast thin daytime active snakes such as coachwhips, racers, etc. Utilize high temps. and are commonly seen active in the hotter times of the day. Other species, avoid the heat of the day(on the surface) and move on the surface at night.

Hognose, cover a wide range of conditions, crawling when its very cool and commonly active when its very hot.

One huge misconception is digestion. Keepers think its takes a long time, like several days or longer. Which is very very odd. In the field, most snakes consume, digest, pass waste, in 24 hours. Very mammal like. If they are supported with normal operating temps(to them) I recorded free ranging snakes. I had a wild coachwhip, consume 4 to 7 small mice a day for 14 and 16 days in a row. Only to stop to lay eggs. I also had diamondbacks, feed daily for several months. Mohaves as well. Also gophersnakes.

So yes, hogs utilize high temps. Like varanids, and like varanids, they must have the ability to use cool temps as well.

The point, in 18 years of taking BT's of montane rattlesnakes, the highest body temp was 97F on a gravid female with a large food bolus. Normally the temps were from the forties to the mid eighties. Kingsnakes, COOL TEMPS IN NATURE. mid eighties would be rare. Hogs, commonly over 90F with a max of 106F. So yes, hogs utilize heat that simply would kill kingsnakes. so I guess we can say they have(utilize) a higher metabolism then kings. That is they choose to use a higher metabolism then kings choose to use.

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Hide Replies ]