Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am still at it and learning more all the time. I am attempting to observe, oh anything important to hogs, known or otherwise. Seasonal activity, surface activity, and prey are of course in the forefront.

I have already mentioned our hogs, seen to gravitate to lizards and lizard eggs. Of the numbers so far only one contained a toad.

But, I am also trying to observe if toads are important seasonally as well.

oddly, toads are not common on our site. Not like oh, about everywhere else in S.Az. But, recently I have located some toads in the hog site. One spot without any water, had emerging great plains toads, and in another area, I located a pond with Green toad tadpoles. So far, there is not gravitation towards these areas, as there was with lizards. But I am keeping an eye on that(looking for it)

I am also attempting to see if box turtles, eggs or neonates are another important food source. I did locate six female box turtles laying eggs. So I am watching those areas as well.

Yesterday, I observed a neonate hog, "working" one of those areas. Of course I disturbed it. It actually popped up out of the ground when I was tracking it.

While hogs are not commonly on the surface, I do see them out from time to time.

Apparently, low expression condas occur in nature

I also have photograghs of the toads, the tadpoles and all the tracks.

Oh, and I encounter a whole bunch of Mohave rattlesnakes, but I do not pick them up. I just take their pictures, and I am starting to really like them. I have located a pod of them, theres is at least 10 individuals in one spot from adults to neonates and I see them daily. Maybe they are next for me to look at.
Cheers

I love the fact that you spotted a low expression conda in nature and put it back, If i am honest i would have kept it and given it a presidential suite lol, But at the end of the day nothing beats a hog living out his natural life. I have great respect that you take the time to posts these field reports in this forum as i respect everyone else who has experiences to share.

Thank you Lance, but I did not put it back. Sorry, As I have mentioned, I am both an avid field herper and a keeper. I am very interested in what that animal will produce, if anything out of the ordinary. There is more to that snake then meets the eye.

I take very very few. At this point, less then 3%. And normally I will not take animals that are not on the road. My rationalization is, sooner or later they will get hammered.

Last year I took two hatchlings that were in the middle of a busy street. I could not believe they were alive. Sadly, I gave them to a friend who works with hogs and he lost both of them.

back to me taking that one, In this case, it was like many of the subjects here(grey areas). I actually was coming back from the field and spotted it off the side of the road getting ready to cross, as least it was headed that way. In the one picture, you can see a tire track right in front of the snake.

I found the snake last thru. And its already pounding mice, no scenting required.

The funny part is "guilt" when I do take a snake from nature, I feel horrible and suffer from guilt. The funny part is the next hog I found was, Yellow, bright yellow. Dang $*($(^%*$*$(%#^^&&& yellow. hahahahahahahahahaha so it had to stay because of my guilt.

My son, who is working with westerns and loving it and yes, hes afraid of being bitten. hahahahahahaha yells at me for leaving some very interesting individual hogs. Like the white ones with reddish blotches.

Again Thank you and please respond to those posts, when no one responds I tend to not post more.

I mentioned earlier that the hogs on my site are rarely scared, this one was, it had two holes that had healed over, one that broke several ribs. That is the second one like that. now all I have to do is figure out what did it. best wishes

Your welcome, Glad you kept it, Finding a conda like that in the wild i am sure is rare, I am also very interested if anything out of the ordinary will be produced fingers crossed!, Looking very forward to seeing what happens, What will you pair it with? another conda or super conda? Your field reports have made me want to go on a hog field trip adventure of my own, I almost got my wife to change our holiday plans for this year Rv hog trip here we come! Where do you recommend is a good place to start state wize and area, The only snake i was ever able to find out in the field back in the uk growing up was the black adder our only venomous snake on the Island scary bugger amazing none of us ever got bitten.

I would do the same thing if i saw a hog play russian roulette with its life on the side of the road, Its awesome your son follows your interest in snakes and also likes hogs, I would yell at you too probly lol, Have fun on your next field trip keep a look out for a wild leucistic would that not be like winning the lottery?! Cheers

Franks field posts are some of my favorite as well. You can never learn as much from a captive animal as you can an undisturbed truly wild animal in nature.

Will