Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello. For Heterodon nasicus in specific--not that it should differ between species--which egg-laying substrate is most preferred: Eco Earth (moistened), sphagnum moss, or vermiculite? I know vermiculite is best for incubation, but I am inquiring on egg-laying substrate. My hogs are normally kept on Eco Earth.

I had fair luck with spagnum moss last year, but my 0.1 Heterodon nasicus is weird and scatters some of her eggs; also has never laid in the moistened Eco Earth - or even vermiculite, I tried.

Thanks,
Timothy
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T.J. Gould

long-stemmed sphagnum has been my choice for years
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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

Kevin,

Thank You, and for Your prompt input - it is greatly appreciated. Yeah, again, sphagnum moss seemed to work best last year, but she's still weird. I think what was also the issue was just too small of an egg-laying box (she's ~30 inches), but I just got a better one at Target today: 9.5" x 9.5" (~9" x 9" inside, ~4.5" high) which will take up a nice near-third of her 20G-Long enclosure, and which I will fill halfway with sphagnum moss tomorrow (she had her pre-egg-laying shed today and yes, I--two years now--mated my pair in the Fall for sperm storage, having decreased the photoperiod to 10 hours for ~3 months and cooled enough to trigger a fast/'recharge' time).

Thanks again.

Sincerely,
Timothy

>>long-stemmed sphagnum has been my choice for years
>>-----
>>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

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T.J. Gould

I use eco-earth plus beach sand for all my egg layers... Has worked well for me for years...

And vermiculite is not the best for egg incubation... The SIM container is...

Gregg,

Thank You for Your input. I had prepared a sphagnum moss container this morning. I will give her a few days to start checking it out, and if after placing her in there (if need be) without any positive results, I will try Your substrate (mixture) of choice.

The S.I.M. container, huh? By Squamata Comcepts? No incubation substrate really works? What goes in the bottom? There's not much to their site...

Sincerely,
Timothy

>>I use eco-earth plus beach sand for all my egg layers... Has worked well for me for years...
>>
>>And vermiculite is not the best for egg incubation... The SIM container is...

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T.J. Gould

Gregg you and those SIM containers lol. Vermiculite has been working great for me over the years but I may break down and try the SIM one of these days.

Mike,
Next time I see you I will give you one so you will have to break down...

Tim,
Yes, the ones by Squamata Concepts... I am one of the designers/producers... LOL

They work great... Many hog breeders here use them... Easy to use and you do not need to worry about substrate to water ratios.. Eggs stay perfectly still during incubation... It has also proven to shorten incubation times and produce very well developed and strong hatchlings...

Here is a cool photo for you to check out...

Gregg,

LOL!! I wouldn't have ever guessed You were a designer of it, and I obviously didn't discover that on here; I simply Googled as probably presumed, heh.

Well, just before I left for work yesterday (Thursday) at 4:15 PM, I stepped into my room to see 'Mrs. Pug's' (yes, that's her name - Mr. and Mrs. Pug...I'm a dork) head in the nesting box and continuing to crawl in while I suited up. When I came home at near-11 PM, she was/still is as of writing this (= 1:05 AM EST) in her nesting box.

That is one hot Hog!! ...as in a fire-y sense. It'd be nice to get an albino (I'd keep to invest in via breeding in 2013).

Timothy

>>Mike,
>>Next time I see you I will give you one so you will have to break down...
>>
>>Tim,
>>Yes, the ones by Squamata Concepts... I am one of the designers/producers... LOL
>>
>>They work great... Many hog breeders here use them... Easy to use and you do not need to worry about substrate to water ratios.. Eggs stay perfectly still during incubation... It has also proven to shorten incubation times and produce very well developed and strong hatchlings...
>>
>>Here is a cool photo for you to check out...
>>
>>

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T.J. Gould