Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So I have a female that I believe to be gravid. I saw the pair breed several times from september 1st until the 3rd. She then shed a few days ago, which seems to aline perfectly with a pre lay shed. She doesnt look pregnant though. I thought for sure if she was gravid I would be able to see or feel eggs at this point. Im a first time hognose breeder so I was wondering if you can always see that they are gravid, everything else I have breed so far is very obvious when gravid. Any responses would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
-tyler

I can probly take some pictures tomorrow if necessary.

I am going to say she is probably not gravid... Just because you saw copulation, it does not mean the job was done... This is why cooling before breeding is a good idea... When you cool your hogs, you ensure female ovulation and you ensure male sperm production...

At this point you should be able to tell easily if she is gravid... You should see eggs in the lay box about 40 or so days after copulation...

Thanks. I cooled them for a while, Then tried breeding them a little after, and they showed no interested in each other. So I waited a little while and Tried again. This time they started courtship almost immediately. Hopefully Ill have better luck in a few months.

There is a lot of friendly people Hear that have a lot of experience and if you get time post some pics so we can see how its going.
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D.Dedrick

Here are a few pictures. She is 2 years old and 376 grams. I tried to see if I could feel any eggs but I could not. I didn't really press hard though since I wasn't sure If I could harm her or any eggs that might be in her, I just let her slither over my finger tip pretty much. I think what really threw me off was her shedding when, if she were gravid, would have been perfect timing for a pre-lay shed.

She could be gravid. But she could also be ovulating. I'd set up a nest box just in case. I as well as many other breeders here have gotten eggs from girls that did not look gravid. Hognose will often retain sperm. If the breeding was successful, she could store the sperm for as long as 2 years.
Hope this helps.
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Thank you,
Kevin Rhodes

www.spiderhognose.com

http://www.freewebs.com/spreptile/index.htm
http://s212.photobucket.com/albums/cc314/lifesciences/?action=view¤t=09-09hognose001.jpg

Wow that female is a knockout thanks for the pics.
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D.Dedrick

Thanks. She was sold to me as a normal, and after posting pics here a few times I still am not sure what morph she might be. Im of was of course hoping she was gravid, but kinda figured she wasnt. I just was curious as to weather hognose are ever gravid but dont show it. Thanks for all the responses.

That is a great looking hognose. Almost looks hypo. Doesn't look gravid to me, but it is hard to tell from a photo. Hognose will bred in the fall and retain sperm until the spring.

Best of luck,
Chris
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Christopher E. Smith
Contact
Captive Bred Herps
Wildlife Research & Consulting Services, LLC

First off, great looking female if the colors are anywhere close to being correct.

Second, it's kind of hard to tell if she's gravid or not as she appears to be a fairly large and bulky specimen, definitely healthy looking. Based on the pictures, I would probably say though that she's probably not gravid as even my largest females will generally have scale separation when gravid, in other words, the skin will be stretched out and the scales individually seen by the added girth of being gravid.

The bottom line is, it's really kind of hard to tell with some females. I've had females that were bred that showed signs of being gravid by having scale separation, had a supposed "pre-lay" shed and then nothing, no eggs and the body size eventually went back to normal. I've also had a few females that appeared just a little plump, as if having eaten a reasonably sized meal but nothing that would clearly indicate being gravid, that would lay eggs. Your best bet is to keep weight records of the female which might be a better judge of how much weight she is possibly gaining. And always keep a close eye on her. I've had females that have laid a week after a pre-lay shed and a few others that laid close to 3 weeks later. It's also possible, as others have suggested, that she might retain the sperm, if the breeding was successful, and simply produce at a much later time.

Good luck with her!
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Troy Rexroth
Rextiles