How big do they get?

So my male Western Hog arrived today and he's not even 6 inches. He is the smallest snake I've owned and was surprised to see him handle a pinky. Males do not get large enough to eat adult mice, do they? What is the largest mouse size they get to approximately?

150 grams is about max size for an adult male. Most of my males are around 70-125 grams. The largest male I have is an adult pos het toffee that weighs 165 and eats adult mice. Hope this info helps.

Wes

Wes knows his stuff when it comes to hogs. I have one of his males and its the ONLY hog I havent had any issues with. SO ready to get some more from him! :gj:

What kind of issues do you have with your hogs?

Mine is okay so far but he buried himself. I have a feeling I'll never see him. He's just a tiny baby though. I guess I'd bury myself too if I was put in a 20 long at that size. He has lots of furniture though.

Awesome Beanie thanks for the support:) As for the 6 inch hoggie, I would put him in a 6qt tub or smaller, large enclosures will offen stress the little snakes out and they'll stop feeding. Once they stop eating it can be quite tricky trying to get them feeding again.

Wes

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SpiffyYoshi

What kind of issues do you have with your hogs?

Mine is okay so far but he buried himself. I have a feeling I'll never see him. He's just a tiny baby though. I guess I'd bury myself too if I was put in a 20 long at that size. He has lots of furniture though.

---

Wes' hogs are the only ones i have ever had that just pounds mice. I got him from Wes in march at 51 grams and now hes 69 grams and chewing on a mouse as I type LOL

Yeah, I actually moved him to a 6 quart shoebox. He is way too small to be in the vivarium. I do not want to cause a feeding problem... that would be upsetting. He slithered around but promptly buried himself. I think he's sleeping now.

I had a lot to learn with my little hognose snake. I just got my first one this past February, and she fed right away for me. The original cage was too large for her though, and she stopped eating. Once I switched her to a smaller cage (large critter keeper), she ate without a problem and is now one of my most aggressive feeders - right up there with the kingsnakes. Most of the time she stays in her hide, but I frequently see her out exploring her enclosure. She's quite interactive and will immediately investigate any disturbances in her bin.

Congrats and good luck with your hognose! :D

I actually bought a 10 gallon and he seems to take advantage of the space. He ate another pinky today so I'm thinking it's a good size enclosure. He makes me smile. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by grits

Wes' hogs are the only ones i have ever had that just pounds mice. I got him from Wes in march at 51 grams and now hes 69 grams and chewing on a mouse as I type LOL

---

My girl pounds f/t mice like candy, and has literally NEVER skipped a meal since I've had her. Don't remember her breeder off-hand, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Wes.

Anyway, sorry I don't know much about male hogs, as I only have a female... and she's a porker @ almost 300g and under two years old. :oops: Btw, she eats full-sized adult mice, so at least the females can handle that size. But she started on fuzzies with ease, so I'm guessing your little guy is smaller than she was (when I got her).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SpiffyYoshi

I actually bought a 10 gallon and he seems to take advantage of the space. He ate another pinky today so I'm thinking it's a good size enclosure. He makes me smile. :D

---

They make me smile too! :D The first time I saw one (at a local pet shop), I just knew I'd have to have one in my collection some day... their little snub noses and puffy cheeks are precious, and they also have the silly personalities to match. Mine is such a sweetie, and definitely one of my favorites among 25+ snakes.

Hogs do love to burrow, so don't be surprised if he's always under the substrate... my girl doesn't often FULLY bury herself, but she's usually at least half-buried in the bedding. I don't even bother with a hide, since she ignored the ones I tried offering & burrowed instead. She does like to tunnel, though, so I give her toilet paper rolls to slither through.

Males seem to top out at 150 grams or a little bigger. I don't think I've ever seen or even heard of one breaking 200 grams, but I suppose it'd be possible with an older animal.

I tend to feed my hoggies smaller meals with more feeders, because they just prefer it that way. They aren't capable of the same ridiculous prey size relative to girth that some python species are, for example. When my female was 150g she was getting multiple hoppers.

In case you're wondering, since you asked 'how big they get', very large females can break 1000 grams, but it seems proven breeders on classified sites rarely are much bigger than 400 or 500 grams, so likely it would take some years to acquire that kind of bulk.

Mine did the funniest thing the other day. I went near the enclosure to see if I could spot him and saw nothing, but then some of the wood chips start moving and his head just pops out and looks up at me. He just did this for 5 minutes, then emerged completely. I took a picture with my cell phone.

http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/q...0823012200.jpg

I made better use of his hide and gave it to a BP. That's a good idea about the TP rolls. He'd love to have that. They have personality unlike any other snake I have. I see him quite a bit for a burrowing snake too. He likes to make a den under his water.

Awww, so cute! Aren't they entertaining little snakes? :)

And yes, I think he would love a TP roll or two... mine loves to tunnel through hers, and will even move it around for fun. LOL

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WesleyA

150 grams is about max size for an adult male. Most of my males are around 70-125 grams. The largest male I have is an adult pos het toffee that weighs 165 and eats adult mice.

---

I REALLY gotta get a scale! How long is that big male?