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.

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