Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i am a bit freaked out. I wasnt going to breed my hoggies until next year, but for some reason the started anyway. I keep my male and female together. I havent had any problems before with them, they have always seemed to do much better together than separated, so i figured that there would be no prob. I also figured that if they lived together they would not breed. Huh. i was wrong. There was no cooling period, and they had been eating well up until this whole process started. My roomate came to me one day and told me that my hogs were 'wrestling'. So they were.

So, i have done my research. I kind of took a bit of a crash course in hog breeding. here is what i got so far:

Pricilla will lay eggs probably in about 45 days (ish)
The eggs should he incubated at 82*ish
They will hatch in about 55 days
The babies should be separated into seperate containers

So, my questions are:

Is it ok to keep Odd in there with pricilla? Will he double clutch her if i do? She is 16" long, and i have been keeping her well fed, but now her appetite is beginning to wane a bit. I have dropped her down to smaller prey and have supplemented with calcium once so far (to be safe).
How many times can a snake get gravid in a year?
Is there anything else i should know?

Any help woudl be appreciated.
thanks, jen

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"raised by a cup of coffee"

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
0.1 partial stripe ghost corn- Raven
1.0 Sunglow motley corn-Ernie
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.1 collared lizard-O-ren
0.1.1 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.0.2 Red american toadlets with 0.0.7 legs total (er, i have one w/3....)
0.0.1 gray tree frog toadlet
0.0.6 land snails
0.0.2 millipedes of unknown species from TN
0.0.1 spotted slug
5.3 bettas
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
2.3 ratties Rizzo, Bounce, Bree, Blitzkreig, and Zelda

First of all, courtship does not necessarily indicate they mated and mating does not necessarily indicate there was fertilization (particularly if the male wasn't cooled). So there is a pretty good chance that nothing will eventuate from this interaction.

Pricilla will lay eggs probably in about 45 days (ish)

45-60 days is probably a better window.

Is it ok to keep Odd in there with pricilla?

There are two reasons why I wouldn't.
1. I believe Hognosed Snakes are known occasionally to eat reptile eggs. Why risk him finding the clutch first?

2. Premature breeding is often associated with bad things, like egg binding. I prefer to keep my adults apart until I am absolutely sure they are large enough and they are in condition to breed.

How many times can a snake get gravid in a year?

It depends on the species. I have had African House Snakes lay 6 clutches of eggs in one year while Rosyboas and Sandboas often only breed every other year. I don't believe Hogs double clutch very often.

Producing a clutch of eggs is very hard on female snakes physiologically. I don't believe in double clutching snakes anymore as it puts undue stress on the female solely to satisfy the greed of the owner (more babies = more cash).
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Chris Harrison

thanks for the great reply.

I wouldnt risk double clutching pricilla, that is why i asked. These two (as well as all of my other snakes) are beloved parts of the family. I would never do anything to harm them. ask anyone on any of the forum boards i post on. I will see if she lays eggs. I am rather excited actually, because i think i can feel the eggs in her abdomen.we shall see. Thanks again for the reply , jen

-----
"raised by a cup of coffee"

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 columbian boa- Brooklyn
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
0.1 partial stripe ghost corn- Raven
1.0 Sunglow motley corn-Ernie
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.1 russian tortoise- Manja
0.1 collared lizard-O-ren
0.1.1 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.0.2 Red american toadlets with 0.0.7 legs total (er, i have one w/3....)
0.0.1 gray tree frog toadlet
0.0.6 land snails
0.0.2 millipedes of unknown species from TN
0.0.1 spotted slug
5.3 bettas
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
2.3 ratties Rizzo, Bounce, Bree, Blitzkreig, and Zelda