I am still researching greatly about breeding Hognoses, but I have 2 questions about my future breeding Hognose. So she turns 2 years old July 29th, 2024. (About 2 weeks from today) and is 90 grams, when I first got her which was January of 2023 she was 17 grams. She eats 1 fuzzy every 5 days and rarely goes on hunger strikes
My first Question, is it MANDATORY that Female Hognose snakes are 250 grams and 2 years old or above to even begin breeding at all regardless of growth rate? Or can they be 2 years of age but at least 175 grams or more? If not what would be the possible complications of doing so?
Second question, With the information I provided in the first paragraph, In your opinion can my Hognose be able to gain at least 150 grams for next breeding season without the need of being powerfed? Thank you.
You can check out this thread that is quite similar to everything you’ve asked here to see previous answers: Gaining weight of a female Hognose
I’ll answer here as well:
It is absolutely mandatory if you care about the health of your animals long term and doing things ethically. The actual recommendation is 3 years & 250-300g, some folks wait even longer. Breeding a younger, smaller animal gives you a higher likelihood of complications like eggbinding, can lead to smaller clutches in the future, impact the growth of the female, and lead to a shorter overall lifespan.
No. She may not even be ready by the season after that. It’s always better to go slow and let them gain weight at their own pace, even if it takes longer to get to size.
@noodlehaus Okay! Thank you So much for your reply which has helped tremendously! Ive heard many opinions of whether to breed at 2 years or 3 years or 150 grams or 250 grams, so thank you for taking the time to Reply!
