Hello!
I have a couple of first timers breeding this year. This is also my first year of breeding. Long story short things seem to be moving along very….slowly. It seems like theirs interest.
The males are surfing the females and twitching…the females seem interested (at times) by twitching back…
My question is is it common for first timers to be slow on getting business done? They have been out of brumation since middle of February and everyone has had multiple meals since. Per one breeder he only separates to feed then puts them back after a day….ive been doing this….thoughts?
2 Likes
I’ve never personally bred Hognoses but I have bred other colubrids that took a minute to figure out how things work lol.
There could also be a chance that they do lock but not for very long, its always possible to miss one. But short locks aren’t as likely to get the job done.
Its perfectly normal for first-timers to take some time.
I’d also be careful keeping them together for so long. They can be cannabalistic and its even more dangerous if the female is much larger than the male.
If I personally were breeding Hognoses I’d go by the same rule as I do with breeding Kings, introduce them at morning once a week after they’ve had a good meal and watch their behavior for around 30 mins to an hour, if all seems well and the female is doing her twitching I’d let them stay for the day until evening while checking up on them occasionally.
That being said I wish you luck on your pairings! 
3 Likes
Thank you for your advice!! I will give this a try and see how they do. I guess I just need to be patient as well haha. I see many other breeders and their success with their Hognose breeding this season and I just feel left behind.
2 Likes
My first timers have typically taken a few weeks to figure it out. I had a male this year with an experienced female and he took 7 weeks. It’s certainly possible they locked before hand and I just missed it. Most of the locks I have seen take place overnight or early morning.
I usually leave the pairs together for at least 3-4 days unless feeding or if the female acts sketch.
How long after coming out of brumation did you start pairing?
1 Like
We started pairing 4 days out of brumation. We initially started with the 3days on 2 days off but when we got concerned the one breeder we spoke with gave a different suggestion so we gave it a try.