Hello. I had just come home at 6:00 PM tonight to discover my pair of Heterodon platyrhinos mating. They were not supposed to be together this long...

See, I have had my male, a 30" CBB '01 specimen, since August 2001 (right out of the egg, purchased from Glades Herp, Inc.). On November 1 of this year (not quite a month yet), I received my 24" or so (but slightly underweight) female from Charles Looney (thru a www.kingsnake.com ad) which I placed with the male in his 20L-gallon aquarium, intended only to be temporary, but which has taken me longer to separate them due to work. They have been doing great, eating and all though I ceased "Elvis'" (the male's name) eating in the beginning of November although I just gave him two (2) f/t toads the other day because "Priscilla" (the female's name, and yes, both snakes named after the actual human pair on behalf of my girlfriend) would not take them (almost did, though! - she's pissy and perhaps prissy, haha). I had not ceased her feeding along with "Elvis" because she needed (and still needs) a little more weight before going into brumation. The new plan was to then put both down for December, however, feeders didn't become available until this week - arriving tomorrow via DHL from Nature Coast Exotics, Inc., and I need to build up "Priscilla's" weight, and/but with them mating as of right now, too...

The point of this post: most everyone knows H. nasicus and H. kennerlyi (...too?) can take sperm storage until the following spring, but can H. platyrhinos??? (And H. simus while we're at it??) You see, if they can't, I do not want to cool them to even the 60s (could possibly get to the 50s in my cellar) if she were to become gravid because I don't think that would be good/safe...? But if they can take sperm storage, I am all set. Anybody know??? If so, PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP!!!! Either way, with both snakes coming from FL and however long ago in the past most likely from FL localties, I will minimize their photoperiod to 10 hours or so (don't think I should do 8) and keep their temperature in the 70s...unless someone recommends differently!

This is such an awkward time for H. platyrhinos to be mating...in my 10(plus - couldn't do "plus" sign for some reason...) years (since late May 1995) of studying the genus Heterodon (exclusively many-a-time) and keeping all three (3) species starting with H. nasicus in December 1995, H. platyrhinos spring/summer 2000, and H. simus in August 2001, I have NEVER once read that H. platyrhinos can take sperm storage, not mentioned in ANY literature. But again, if anybody knows different, please respond ASAP!!!! Thanks much!

PS - My website was created in either the summer of 1997 or 1998, when I was 13 or 14 and going into either 8th or 9th grade, having kept snakes for only 5.5(plus) or 6.5(plus) years (have kept them since November 21, 1991 - my first snake an Opheodrys aestivus, Rough Green Snake). I just visited the site to see if it still works--just the homepage and and first link about the three species--and it so-so works; on the link, you have to highlight with your cursor for now, heh. The wording is funky in some parts, as I tried to be so articulate when young, haha...try comparing and contrasting this message to my site! I am sure a few things have to be updated. I should as well put some pics of my hogs on there instead of ones I found on the internet back then (but which I gave credit to, I believe...?). And I will be frank - with all the hogs I have kept and so forth, all the studying and that 'fancy' site of mine LOL, I have never bred any of them, so obviously, the breeding link just came from knowledge of what I studied; no personal experience. This upcoming year was to be the year of breeding many things, including species not yet bred in captivity within the U.S. (e.g., Chrysopelea ornata, Golden Tree Snake), but "Elvis" and "Priscilla" got it on early, golly dag nabbit! ...Horny things...

Sincerely,
The Care & Breeding Of The North American Hognose Snakes

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T.J. Gould