Reptile & Amphibian Forums

As mentioned, I am interested in nesting behavior. And I am testing different styles and materials in order to stimulate some or any natural behaviors.
Heres two happening now.

This box has a eco earth/sand mixture, aprox 50/50 and is about 8 inches deep. The female that's in there now, laid about a month ago and deposited eggs 3 to 5 days after shed.

This box has aprox 10 inches of natural material, from exactly where the female was found. As you can see, in both cases, the females went down. Both have a pane of glass buried a few inches down. In the first attempt, the female sheltered under that pane, then dug to the bottom to nest. I also have the glass the same depth, next time, I will place it 2 inches from the bottom.
In the past, Several asked what do I expect to see with these tests. Which to me is an odd question. What I expect to see is what I have not seen before. New to me, behaviors. And within the first day, I did see something new.

In this picture, you can see a mound of dirt in the upper right hand corner. This is substrate pushed up from under the surface level. Other reptiles commonly do this to plug holes leading to the surface. You can see how the sand crumbles from being pushed up. This is a behavior that I can look for in the field. The question is, do or can they close their burrows, the answer, yes. And yes, I have lots of varanid pics of this behavior.
So day one taught me something. This is what naturalistic observation expresses. Give them something they understand and they will use it, in a way they understand. With other materials, its hit or miss. With eco earth, I did not see this behavior. Remember, its a start, not a conclusion. Also keep in mind, this is a report, not more, no less. What will happen is up to the hogs and me supporting them. Like don't let the dang sand dry out. Best wishes.

FR, thank you for sharing this information. I believe there are a lot of folks who learn a lot from your work. They choose to read it and absorb it, but do not get caught up in the internet drama. This is an open forum and we can take what we want and just leave the rest. Pretty simple.

Thank you so much and I will continue to share. The problem is, this type data is slow, and the internet is fast. So theres only so much of this, hahahahahahahaha
To me, this is what is fun about keeping snakes. Truthfully, I have no idea of what the outcome will be, not with nesting tests, or cage tests.
The cage is coming along fine, I will catch the forum up later or tomorrow. Working on the mechanics a little today. Finding parts you know. Thanks again.

Wow if I saw that hole I would have NEVER thought a snake had dug that out!! I would just assume the animal had legs! I like that you are trying different substrates and it shows how smart the snake is.

I went up last week Sunday to a sandridge and saw nothing at 9am, Its really hot lately. At 4 am I was at work outside and thought I was in a oven the pavement was still expelling heat...just unbearable.

Hey Frank,
I have seen that very same mounding with coco fiber bedding. I have also seen the female blocking the hole to the nest area and back filling after laying. They use that rostral scale quite well. Even arranging eggs and packing the "dirt" around them.

David,
I would not go as far as to say these snakes are smart. They do what they do because of instinctive drive and do it well because of their design. However, it does not make them any less awesome!

Hi Gregg, I meant as a push up. Something I could Identify in the field. This pic is a varanid push up, most every night when they retire, they block the entrances like this.
Its now something I will pay attention to in the field.
I also have pics of monitors, laying eggs and carrying them to a nest. One story and I took pics, was a lacy who was down in a nest, came out and starting digging strait down from above the nesting chamber. She then gingerly started picking at something. It was white, but I could not tell what it was. Then she flicked it out and away from the area. It was a dead mouse. She then laid a few eggs on the surface, and one by one, carried them, arranged them, and normally completed nesting.

A varanid push up.



She laid the the moved eggs behind her and moved them down about two feet inside the nesting burrow.
About "smart" I am totally on Davids side on this one, Yes, snakes are born with set of instincts. And are BASICALLY guided by them, On a scale of one to ten, instincts amount to a 3. Once they enter the world. They must learn and refine basic instincts to a real set of changing conditions. Instinct alone will not allow them to survive. There is far more too it. Take feeding, some years toads are available, and they occur over there. Other years lizards are available, they occur somewhere else. So take one of your day old neonates and put it outside. Do you really think its going to live? How does it know where to go? Ask more if interested.