Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I hear an awful lot about full cage nesting and/or natural caging. Can some of the members that use these methods post pics. I want to switch and have no clue where to begin.

This year I transferred them to this setup once they shed.
Next year, I'm going to experiment with transferring the females to such a setup as soon as I see they're gravid to see if it shortens the time from shedding to laying - as per Gregg's experience with his girls.
I think I'll also try a sand/coconut mix to see if that has an influence

Thanks. Is this a maternity setup or the cage she is always housed in? Im guessing thats ecoearth with a smaller tub holding aspen?

This year I transferred them to this setup once they prelay shed.
Next year, I'm going to experiment with transferring the females to such a setup as soon as I see they're gravid to see if it shortens the time from shedding to laying - as per Gregg's experience with his girls.
I think I'll also try a sand/coconut mix to see if that has an influence.

It's a 19 gallon tub from Walmart - the lids are great (I don't bother with holes).

Here is how I do it.

And this is what properly nested eggs look like.

Gregg, just curious how deep (inches) is the main tub and the nesting tub?
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Steve Perry
facebook.com/StevePerryReptiles

In my opinion, it does not need to be super deep. I offer mine about 5 inches. I rarely observe my snakes nesting deeper than 4 inches in my set ups. They have at least another inch they can dig own to but they choose not to for some reason. Maybe because they do not need to?

Hi Gregg, Yours do not lay on the bottom because of lite issues. They instinctually nest in dark. Which is base common sense.
On the other hand, if your nestings are routine and the females drop within 7 days of their shed, its good enough. And if your females come out swinging for the fences(pounding food) If they are dropping eggs in a nest, not scattered. Your all good.

The point of My exercise is not about right or wrong. Or good or bad. Its about methods that match the instincts of the snakes, and improve captive health and to exhibit natural behaviors.
So in your case Gregg, its about opportunity, give them an opportunity to nest deeper and see it that helps. Its not about how deep they nest for you the keeper, its about the negative effects on the female. In that, yours seem to be doing really well, so no worries unless your curious. Best wishes.

Even when I gave them shallow nest boxes within their regular cages they NEVER "scattered" and nearly all females will eat aggressively immediately after laying.
I have heard as such from ALL the big hognose breeders that I talk with.

I repeat, I am all for trying different methods, but in our search for improving our husbandry methods we shouldn't tailor data to suit our agendas.

On that note, it is only an assumption that the number of days from pre-lay shed to laying is of much relevance.
I, personally, would be more concerned about the number of infertile eggs that show up in a clutch.

I do like your posts better then, the trolls. Again, if what you do does not result in problems and your happy and not curious to investigate more, keep on doing it.
As Gregg mentioned many times, there are many many things that influence egg binding.
A great example is, many avoid or tell folks, to not breed young or small females. In nature they produce normally, as there are no Copulation cops to stop them from breeding. They tell others that, for good reason, they have seen problems. The type of nesting you and I are using,(deep) helps avoid the problems they are afraid of. It does so for real reason. Deep dark and has mass. Mass holds temps even and humidity even.
About infertility, without question, that's my fault. Infertility or in this case part infertile, is a temp issue. Like you guys, I am thrilled with 13 good eggs. Which was more then I expected. And for a first clutch with both male and female wild caughts. Its a good start.
So what do you think is important to limit infertility?

It is clear from your response to my last post that you pretty much ignored what I wrote and just continued repeating your usual stuff.
I have zero interest in that sort of dialogue if one can call it that.

Cool, thanks for your help. And please, do not READ my posts. EVER

Probably the smartest thing you've ever said !!

I must be real smart, I said it to you, about 50 times or more. Oh and I thought you were done. Why do you keep going on and on?

Naa, that would be the post where he said you were to smart to be a researcher or scientist.

Why are you wasting time, lets just keep acting like children and call eachother names, you stinking bunghole of a whale with a intestinal disease.
Your stupid to attempt to confuse your feeble attempts by attaching to a herp subject. Its not about that, is it. So, este su maranna. I did not spell that right, my friend from Cuba says it means a female pig in heat with her butt up in the air waving back and forth, in order to steal men from others. I hope I got that right. That's you anyway.

That's exactly what I needed to see. Gregg what size are the tubs you use? And how about heat? I have mine in tubs with back heat. The reason I want to switch is that they tend to make a mess out of the tub regardless what substrate we use. I was thinking the full cage nesting would help with that

This is one of my setups. I use deep all year round with great success. The substrate is anywhere from 8-12 inches deep and they generally build chambers within an inch or so from the bottom with 2 points of access. The other thing that I have noticed over the years is that they will almost always come to the top to defecate. I rarely find any down deep when I change it out.

BTW,I got criticised by the great FR for this set up only to find out that he keeps his in less than a 1/4 inch of wood chips in a plastic tub rack system.

I am finally getting to understand you. While your sure a pain is, its all about you. You said, I criticized you. No, YOUR WRONG. I criticized your cage. Your cage is full of a material that hognose have no idea of. That is, its foreign to their understanding. You can provide deep wrinkled up paper, sphagnum moss, anything foreign and of course they attempt to satisfy their needs the best they can. But that is NOT equal to what they are designed for. That nose, that body, is all designed for a specific material.
When they are in that material, they are at HOME.

This picture is hognose holes on my site, in situ.

This picture is the snakes in my sand cage. The holes are exactly alike.

This picture is the snake burrowing in my cage. This type pic is obtained by covering the side with black paper. or they won't expose themselves to lite.
So nastiness, if you would actually contemplate the subject, the hognose, and not your tender feelings, you may have the ability to understand something. Sadly I have no hope for that.

This is how you really set them up for the majority of their of existence in your care.

You should stop to trying to mislead these good people with your hypocrisy.

And btw you don't need to cover all the sides with dark paper to see that kind of behavior. I offer a dark side for them and rarely use it. They choose the three sides with light for majority of their deep nesting. Which btw I do all year long. You sir do not...

The below picture is courtesy of FR and how he REALLY sets them up all year.

Its funny, but I guess the way you act is normal for a monkey see monkey do, recipe idiot. I have to admit, your an excellent mindless troll. All your babble to me only shows how stupid you are. All I can hope for is for you to keep it up.
So thanks for displaying how stupid some keepers are. I am sharing what I am doing with hogs and your sharing how stupid you are.

It's not just me. A quick search will reveal many, many threads that repeat the same thing over and over again from countless people.

http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=2024634,2024754

That FR is your legacy.

hahahahahahahahaha At least I have a legacy, you have nothing more then the constant vale of stupidity.
Your troll crap is sad, all you do is sit around seeking imperfections, While your at it, how about popping that pimple you call YOUR BRAIN.
its funny, I never consider myself, better or superior. Except when I am around you, I feel great and happy, that I am not you, or your friend or family. I even feel empathy for those in your life. You do understand, the more you do this, the more I will post and the more word get out, for those interested. So thank you and please come back with something creative and stupid.

Is there any way to stop them from filling their water dishes with Eco-earth?

Ah! Gregg, thanks again. Great pic. Very cool. I like that set up. Gonna add that top piece to mine. Thanks.

reako45

Thanks caracal, I saw your post from my phone and it only showed the pics. I read the rest from my PC.

Could y'all three take your BS to PM's so others could respond and actually learn something. I thought it was only ball python breeders with such inflated egos and narcissistic personalities but obviously I was horribly wrong.
For the love of God y'all are three grown ass men, in a pissing contest, over who's dirt is deepest. WTF

I guess you just became the 4th

You just show up 3 or 4 days ago and pass judgment on an ongoing point of tension that you know nothing about.
That is ego!!

What's pathetic is grown men arguing over dirt. For your information, I have been here much longer than a few days. In fact it has taken me MONTHS reading through back treads and sorting through the three of yalls BS trying to find useful info.

It's quite simple, I asked a question about husbandry, if you can't share useful info or pics like what was asked for, carry on. Keep your BS off my thread.

Anyway thanks for helping me prove my point, Curly.

When you first requested info, I provided you with pics and info.
When it was apparent from your first response that you hadn't read my post, I politely repeated my post and reserved judgement.

You should learn some manners too.
It's clear that you haven't even read the posts from the last 24 hours and are just shooting your mouth off.

Thank you.