Posted by:
FR
at Sun Apr 7 10:15:02 2013 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by FR ]
First, its hard to say why folks recomend this and that, like what you said. You should ask them why they say what they recomended.
My bet is, its not about the hognose, its about how they keep them. From what you say, they might be keeping them in tiny cages, real tiny. Or they have no idea how to use heat with colubrids.
I will say, most rack system caging is of poor design, The tubs fit in a tight spot that holds heat. Thats not a good idea if you want a range of temps.
With smaller snakes like hognose, all you need is a small area where the snake can heat up, at least 1/2 of its body. Or less! Snakes practice regional heating, that is, only heating part of their body, the part that requires heat. They only heat their whole body when they need to travel and have the ability to escape predators.
I do agree, heating males without their ability to control the amount of heat is not a good idea, they without question utilize heat, but they must also be able to get away from heat.
If they cannot get away from temps constantly over 80F, your running the risk of infertility.
The problem with BLIND husbandry is, you have to be right, exactly right. The problem with blind husbandry is, you find out your wrong with failed efforts.
You said 82F, thats a fine line between working and failure with males. If that is what you want to do, go for it.
In nature, winter body temps go down to near 32F, and the snakes are still active. Not out, but active in shelters. By the time they use the surface, surface temps are commonly over 100F and average 135F or more in sunny areas(basking areas)
So in nature, which actually means, what the snakes are designed to use, has a much greater range and a much greater ability to use a wider range then, 82F.
In fact, I know of no free ranging snake that shelters or stays at temps that hot(82F)(during the breeding season)
They in fact use much cooler temps and much warmer temps.
While that sounds complicated and 82F or any one temp sounds easy, offering a range of temps is EASY with colubrids, in all but the smallest cages.
Back to you, you only have a small number of adults, so to speak, but if kept right, will can have a huge number of neonates. I recomend, learning to keep them in bigger cages. And there are many reasons for that recomendation.
First with larger cages, its EASY to set up an excellent range of conditions, temps and humidity, shelters. Then you do not have to worry about, not hot enough, too hot, etc, like you do with tiny cages.
Also, with larger cages, the snakes actually behave, that is, they do things. Watching them do things is both fun and educational. The more you allow them to do, the more fun it is, and you still can make morphs to add to that fun.
Also, there are no rules that dictate you have to keep them all the same. You can indeed have learning cages and smaller cages to apply what you learned.
So in reality, without knowing anything about how you keep your animals, I or anybody cannot suggest what you should do.
Personally, I love to watch others work, so, I try to let the snakes do what they are good at, I mean, what millions of years of evolution has taught them. I mean, let them do what they do. The reality is they like doing it.
Telling them what to do, like offering one temps(82F) puts the responsibility on you the keeper. Which is why this forum is so nasty. Its all about being right or wrong, as in, your right, no your wrong. Or you think I am wrong, Or the old, you think I am dumb etc. I guess in you look at it rationally, the only dumb thing is thinking we know more about being a snake, then the snake does.
Their lives depend on being right. So they rarely if ever make mistakes. All you have to do as the keeper is given the some ability to make the right choices. And staying at one temp like 82F is never a choice they would make naturally, Why?
Have a great day, thanks for the conversation
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RE: Breeding Q - FR, Sun Apr 7 10:15:02 2013