The following is regarding Westerns.
There always seems to be some exception to any rule.
I hibernate the snakes to give both myself and them a break.
I have hibernated the hogs for as little as a month and tried two and three month periods. I have tried hibernating with lights on an eight hour cycle. I have tried hibernating with lights completely off. I have hibernated hogs at 40, 50, 60, and 65 degrees all in separate years.
In all of these trials snakes bred and produced viable clutches.
I have had one male and female that were both hibernated in the fall of 2006. Only the female was hibernated in 2007. The male bred her in early 2008. She laid 8 perfect eggs first clutch and eight perfect the second clutch along with one dud. While she was not brumated in fall 2008 to allow for weight gain, she still cycled in jan 2009 producing a single clutch of ten eggs, nine perfect, from the single introduction of the male that took place in early 2008.
Without hibernation, that same male would breed another female in early 2009. Her first clutch would yield 3 perfect eggs and 7 slugs. Her second would produce 9 perfect eggs and one slug, all from the single introduction back in early 2009.
I know of at least two breeders that do not even know eachother that do not hibernate thier stock at all. Year by year they still get fertile clutches.
So with all that said, What are some of your experiences with the Western hogs and brumation?
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Thank you,
Kevin Rhodes
www.spiderhognose.com
http://www.freewebs.com/spreptile/index.htm
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