Reptile & Amphibian Forums

New to the forum, just thought I'd post a few questions I have about Hog Island Boas. Yes, I have sought this information out online, but some things are unclear or inconsistent.

1. How big do they get (M/F), and how much room do these guys need? I read figures from 3 to 7 feet, about a foot larger for the females. Well, I can handle a medium sized 5 foot snake- but a bulky 7 footer would be too much. It's difficult to get a clear sense of perspective from internet photos. I've only seen juveniles at herp shows.

2. What kind of feeding response do they have? I understand this often varies by animal, but sometimes you can generalize.

3. One G or two? Hog Islands makes more sense to me, given the name of the island from which they originate, but why do I keep reading "Hogg"? Common misnomer?

Any general info is appreciated, as my experience is limited to (what else?) ball pythons. I'm looking to branch out into something new, even if its just a pet and not a breeding project.

Hog Islands are a bit smaller than Colombians, not dwarfs but are of a lighter build than Colombians. Males are usually around 4-5'. I have had a 6' male Hog. Females are usually a bit over 6'. You should not have a hard time handling any Hog Island due to their slight build. My 9 yr old female is about 12 lbs.

Next, with some of the purer Hogs, I have noticed that they do not like to switch over to F/T as willingly as a Colombian, but they always do eventually. I have never had an issue with one refusing live though.

And the correct spelling is Hog with one "G".

Chris Canada-Smith

Not to hijack this thread but any suggestions on converting from live to F/T would be greatly appreciated or do I just have to "wait it out". Got a pair of baby hog islands last June. The female has consistently taken F/T off tongs with the gusto of a retic and never missed a meal. The male just wants live. Once in a while he will eat a F/T small mouse or rat pink left in his cage but never took one from tongs. I tried all the tricks-scenting with live, braining, motion, small container, etc. He is not shy and will gobble up a live mouse readily before I can even close his cage. Thanks for your help. Bill.
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

Hog Isle do real well if kept on minimal standard BCI protocols
They are considered Central American and just like all the others
Grow to similar length and weights(5'M/6'F) and as with any there can be exceptions plus or minus.

Conservative feeding schedules keep ours very average,they as well as all of our BCI never see a mouse their entire time with us.Nor do they ever see a live prey item.
We have several here over 10 years old that still produce
slug free litters and they'll likely be here another 10 due to their conservative feeding.True bred Hog Isles are very hard to come by,many claim rights to such,yet the paper trail is very short.
Becareful who you purchase from.

FT

Absolutely one (G) spelling
Latin/Spanish translations do not support the market tag
of using two G's in the advertised name of this boa species place of origin.

If a vendor cant spell it correctly,look elsewhere.

>>Absolutely one (G) spelling
>>Latin/Spanish translations do not support the market tag
>>of using two G's in the advertised name of this boa species place of origin.

Just to add to this, a lot of the people who have hog crosses call them 'hogg' boas. Hog Isle boas have been crossed into other BCi localities, especially salmon and hypo lines, there's the well known sunset line.
just FYI for the original poster
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'There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."' -Rainshadow