I’m still learning how to best breed my two Hognose snakes. I’ve heard some things about timing the pairing with the female’s ovulation, how can you tell when she’s ovulating? And how long after pairing are the eggs usually laid? Thanks for any tips and information!
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I’m also curious about how many viable eggs are typically laid as a female’s first clutch. It would be the first for my male and female hognose, so I’d guess the clutch will be small.
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I will preface this with stating that I am only in my second season of breeding and am by no means an expert. There is no perfect way and a lot of people do things differently but I will explain my process.
My season starts with brumating from late Nov to Feb aiming for 12 weeks. After waking them up I make sure they are eating well and start pairing after the second meal, so usually about 1.5-2 weeks later.
You will not see ovulation like you do in other species. If you wait for signs of ovulation it will be too late and you will have likely missed the window.
I keep pairing 3-4 days at a time with 2-3 day breaks and continue until the female is obviously gravid. My experience has been that first timers can easily take 3-4 months to have success.
Eggs are usually laid after 7-9 weeks, typically within 2 weeks of the prelay shed. Viability and clutch size can vary vastly depending on so many factors but the average is typically considered 8-12.
I’m not sure I can post links but there is a wealth of knowledge with certain breeders on the good old youtube. Research is your friend. Even after reading every bit of knowledge to be found for 4 years I still didn’t feel prepared with certain things but you will still be better for it.
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Thank you so much, this helps a lot! I will definitely be doing a lot of research.