I am dropping a line to see if I can get some guidance from an experienced, established hognose breeder. I have a few questions concerning my first pairing. I have a 1:1 breeding group of Toffeeconda that I am looking to pair up this year.
First, when exactly should I start pairing? I have read other online sources and before this post I was looking at beginning pairing in March. I am not brumating my female. I have however altered her day/ night cycle to mimic natural environment.
Second, I have a serious concern about my female trying to eat my male. They are both up to weight, but the male is quite a bit smaller than the female. Female is pushing ~290grams and the male is pushing 80. The female is feisty and insanely food motivated. How concerned about this should I be? What am I supposed to do if she latches on to the male?
Lastly, I am open to hearing any other feedback from anyone who has done this before. I am super excited to pair them, but I am trying to arm myself with as much knowledge as I can before hand.
Thank you for the read guys! I will comment if I can think of any further questions. I look forward to hearing from you.
I personally would pair them 2 days after feeding the female. She should be full but not stressed from eating. I think this would decrease the chance of a problem. Pay close attention and if the female bites you can spray the female’s mouth with listerine/diluted alcohol (the stream setting might help). So I would keep this nearby just in case.
Riley covered it pretty well. I would suggest maybe feeding the female a little heavier meal just to really cut back on the odds that she will see the male as food. You can also introduce the female to the male’s tub/cage, that way she is a little less inclined to feel any territoriality
I prefer using a Q-tip swabbed in Listerine as opposed to spraying. Gets the same effect but less potential for overdoing it
I would say March is a pretty good time to pair, and if your male is healthy, there shouldn’t be to much to worry about, but I’d still keep an eye on them just to be safe.
This is my second 1:1 breeding group. Arctic Conda. They are both very under sized for breeding. Their first pairing won’t likely be until 2024 or maybe 2025. But I’m going to raise them up because that’s the fun part!
This is Noir. He’s a very hissy boy. He hasn’t eaten for me in 5 months but hasn’t lost any weight. Him and Sunny were from the same breeder, roughly the same age, and Sunny is almost 2x his size. He seems healthy to me, but he has a vet check on the books just to be sure. Arctic Conda.
This Noir’s girlfriend Freyja. She is still super small. My newest hog addition. Took her in in July of 21. She has some issues that I’ve posted about here in the past and I’m aware that I may not be able to breed her if she doesn’t grow out of her issues. In that case she’ll just be a pet and I’ll get another female for Noir. In any case she’s the sweetest girl and I love her. Arctic Conda 100% het albino.
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