Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Right now, I have two females nesting, one in eco earth/sand mixture, this is her second clutch.
And this second female. She is also an axanthic, I field collected her a year ago, she was small 15 inches and thin, 85 to 90 grams. She had two sets of broken ribs that appeared healed.

Here is a series of pics, on how she has been using a nesting material(silty sand) that was collected near where she was found and the same as what she was found on.



She is blue now, and has cycled and eggs can easily be palpated. Enjoy

That is really cool my black king makes a hole strait down into the substrate. one underneath the light and one in the middle and two way over at the cool side.

I really like the fork in the tunnel. Hogs are like prairie dogs!

I have pics from the field like that, did you see those?

Sure. Gives me something to compare out in the field.

The above is a cal king under a board. The pics show a whole bunch of burrows. The question is, what makes those burrows the king is using.

This picture is also in situ, under a rock. The J cricket is what most likely aids neonate kings in burrowing. As you know, they can burrow without help as well. I hope you enjoy the pics.

That is really neat. Is that hard packed soil?

That is normal soil, at that time of year, its fairly soft, but as soon as it drys out, its hard as a rock.

So do hognose snakes live in the same area? and do kingsnakes use the sandy area? I am amazed the J cricket did not kill the kingsnake.

Sorry, I did not see this, Yes there are kings where the hognose occur. In the area I am working, hognose outnumber the kings many many times. Last year I found a female hog that was very skinny in the back end, covering a hole. a few days later, I found a king in that exact spot.
About the J cricket, I never paid attention to that because its common to see them under AC with snakes.
Alligator lizards, love to eat them and make an artform out of doing so.

So, not having access to sand like where you found her, what would you suggest for someone who wants to mimic a more natural material for their hogs?

Play sand? Pool sand?

My first go around, I used eco earth and play sand and it worked. The natural material, may or may not work better. can't say. She should lay this week, but I will again be gone.

We also put that natural sand in with our sand boas, and they do exactly the same, made a million burrows. Our female may be gravid. So it will be interesting to see how a live bearer nests. We also have a pair of those egg laying sand boas.
About store bought sand. play sand is sifted natural sand, silica sand(pool filter sand) is crushed and sifted. Crushed sands(manufacturer) our HORRIBLE FOR ANIMALS. As each grain is a piece of broken glass. Where natural sands are worn and smooth.
So yes, play sand. But I would rather go down to a dry wash, or creek and dig up my own. Best of luck

Creeks around here are all road sand that washes off from Winter (I am in Connecticut) so I am not sure I trust it. I'll try play sand. Sounds safest.

Hi,

I used to travel into western Conn to deliver reptiles in the late 90s-early 2000s. The place seemed to me like it was a patchwork of small trout streams. While I never spent much time walking those streams, the ones that appeared to be similar in my own region, wny, offer excellent sand/gravel with each bend. I used that stuff mixed with coir for years until I got lazy and just started collecting lake Erie beach sand.

Also, for coco peat, coir, eco-earth users. Many folks don't realize that you can purchase that stuff in large 12"x12"x10" blocks for $8-$12.00 each at your local hydroponics store. Buying it by the brick is a huge rip-off @ $4-$5.00 per.
It is absolutely the same stuff, only much cheaper when sold for horticultural applications.

Will

Most of that sand is road sand that washes into the rivers after Winter. I am not sure that would be ok for Hogs.