Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I picked up a nice light colored male Western Hognose in Early January from a person who said that the snake had refused recent meals. I got him down to mid 50 degrees by mid January and am wondering if he could be a fertile edition to my other two pairs who have been down since early December and will be brought up right away in March. I'd want to bring him up with them in March and use him as a primary male for one of the females unless there is a good chance he won't be able to fertilize eggs due to too short of a brumation cycle. He is an adult male who has never bred and hasn't been brumated in past years from what I was told. I'd really like his genetics in the mix this year. Any suggestions? Thanks all for helpful posts! Adam

Brumation is not entirely necessary for fertility. Many people have bred hognose without brumating a single one. It just increases the likelihood of having a majority of eggs fertilized. If you bring your new male up with the rest, you should be fine to breed this season. However, I'm not saying that you will have 100% fertility, but you should still get some good eggs.
-----
Robert Charvat
1.1 het albino Western Hognose

Thanks Robert!

So rather than making a snake fertile, like an on/off switch, brumation cycles increase fertility by increasing sperm development?

Depends on the species (and possibly the geographic population from which the animals originated). I brumate all my temperate colubrids for at least 8-10 weeks. Though I know it isn't necessary in all cases, it sure helps with timing issues, particularly in a large collection!
-----
Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....