Hognose Brumation

Hello everyone, I'm really considering getting a hognose at the upcoming repticon in March and have read lots of care sheets and think I have their requirements down packed. Since this would be my first colubrid I have some questions on the whole brumation thing and I'm hoping you guys can help me out :) sorry for all the questions.

Do they need to brumate every year?
Do you wait until they are a certain age/weight to begin brumating?
Is brumation purely for breeding or is it something that they all need to do?
Lastly (I think) I keep all my snakes in one heated room, so I'm not sure how I could drop the temps for the hoggy during brumation (if it's needing) without compromising the health of my bps since I've read dropping temps into the 50's are acceptable brumation temps, which is much too cold for bps.

Can't wait to hear from you guys. And I can't wait to hopefully be sharing hognose pics with you soon [emoji4]

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Do they need to brumate every year?

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Well you always have exceptions and people telling you they do not brumate them, but the majority of breeders will brumate their animals. I have always brumated my colubrids in the 55/60 degree range.

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Do you wait until they are a certain age/weight to begin brumating?

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Ideally about 60 grams for males and 200 grams and 2 years for females

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Is brumation purely for breeding or is it something that they all need to do?

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If you do not breed them you can keep them at the same temperature year round.

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Lastly (I think) I keep all my snakes in one heated room, so I'm not sure how I could drop the temps for the hoggy during brumation (if it's needing) without compromising the health of my bps since I've read dropping temps into the 50's are acceptable brumation temps, which is much too cold for bps.

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The only way this is really manageable when keep species with such a drastic difference in husbandry is by having an area when you can move your hognose for brumation purposes such as a basement

I knew you would help me out Deborah, thanks so much for the clarification on brumation :) now I feel 100% ready to add a hognose to the family.

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Originally Posted by AlexisFitzy

I knew you would help me out Deborah, thanks so much for the clarification on brumation :) now I feel 100% ready to add a hognose to the family.

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About time ;), you will really enjoy having a hognose they are cute and fun.......if I were you I would get a female they do get bigger. ;)

Haha it's funny you say that, I'm going to start with a female since they do get bigger and it would be nice to have a girl already if I do fall deeply in love with them and decide to breed. :) and yeah it took me long enough, I've been bouncing back and forth between a couple different snake species that I wanted to add. So I've come to the conclusion that hognose will be next, then boa, then dwarf/super dwarf retic. Lol and who know what else after that!

I have no breeding plans for my hoggy and she is kept warm all year round in my snake room. They are funny with their lil attitudes.

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Originally Posted by KMG

I have no breeding plans for my hoggy and she is kept warm all year round in my snake room. They are funny with their lil attitudes.

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I know I can't wait to see their feisty attitude at work. I really can't wait for the first feeding day though. Hognose feeding vids always crack me up they are so cute when they eat. I do have a question for you though since you keep them warm all year round, do you notice them fasting at all? Do you feed them a little less in the winter time?

Mine will only eat live so she does not get fed as regularly as I would like. I shoot for every week to two. With that I have not had any fasting.

I do tend to feed all my snakes less in the winter.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Mine will only eat live so she does not get fed as regularly as I would like. I shoot for every week to two. With that I have not had any fasting.

I do tend to feed all my snakes less in the winter.

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Awesome :) that's pretty amazing that you've gotten around the fasting thing. And yeah I'll probably end up feeding mine less in the winter as well. Don't want them get turning into little piggies.

I picked up 4 hatchlings last year and none of them were cooled. They've maintained healthy appetites through the season so far. Other than some trial scenting for one in the beginning none have skipped a meal. I feed twice a week.