Hogg Ialsnd Boa

How big do they grow?

They can be any where from 6 to 9 feet in length. They get about the same length as the BCI (Boa Constrictor Imperator) Red Tails do. Look for caresheets on BCI snakes. The caresheets on this website are very helpfully.

About 4'-5.5' on average. But you have to be sure to have a PURE hogg, which may be difficult to find these days.

Jennifer

Well I just saw them on a magazine described as mini boas. So I guess that is small for a boa.

Umm, I'm pretty sure that hogg islands do not get NEARLY as big as you (wolfman38) mentioned. They are considerably smaller than the common BCI.

Yes, that is small for Boas. Generally a "true" boa wil get around 10 maybe 12 feet long.

Oh, cool. the reason for asking was because I want to get one way later in the future.

The Hogs do stay smaller... as someone else said though, make sure you are getting a real HI and not a cross with something else. Most female HIs will max out around 6'-6.5' and are a bit lighter bodied than a Colombian. Males will reach 5-5.5'. One thing that is really neat about the HIs is that they change color. You may see them in the evening and they are a light putty grey with almost invisible markings then in the middle of the day they will be a bright coral color with a highly contrasting pattern.
Here's an example (Logan again)
http://www.stormyworld.net/coppermin...al_4-12_02.JPG
http://www.stormyworld.net/coppermin...al_3-22_01.JPG

Sweet!

If you're looking for small boa constrictors, there's also Caulker Cay, Crawl Cay, Sonoran Desert, and Corn Island boas (all dwarf froms of BCI's)

I'm not a big fan of the hypomelanistic look to the Hogg Isle ones, so if you're like me you may want to look into some of those. They are harder to find though.

Ok, cool, thanks!

Caulker Caye and Corn Islands are gorgeous snakes! As hhw said they are a LOT harder to find and can be a lot more expensive as well. On the positive side, because they are not as popular in the pet trade you can be more confident in the fact that you are getting a true specimen and not some muddied cross. This site has probably some of the best info on the different locality boas.....
http://www.boa-constrictors.com/com/com.html

I love the Hogg Island look, but have never seen one in person - let alone an adult. With an adult male, about how 'thick' do they get - how large of prey and how often woudl an adult male eat?

They will get about the the diameter of a large rat :D
The male in the pics above is currently being fed a f/t large rat every 14 days. I will sometimes go a few days longer than that if he isnt "cruising" around towards the end of the 14 days.

Thank you.....I've got a new species to start looking into (just what I need). :)

Not a different species or sub-species just a different locale. The Hog Island boa is of the same sub-species as the Colombian boas, Boa Constrictor Imperator it just comes from a different place.
You might want to check out the article a couple of months ago in Reptiles magazine about locale (island) boas.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tigergenesis

Thank you.....I've got a new species to start looking into (just what I need). :)

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Actually I meant a new species that's not in my collection. :D
I do have that issue so I'll dig it out.

Would a cage 48x24x12 be okay for a single male it's whole life or do I need to go bigger?

Thanks.

4x2x12 would be fine.... might want to go a little higher if you have the space and money. It seems like my HIs like to climb and move around bit more than the Colombians do. My male has a wood "jungle gym" in his 4x2x2 and he spends most evenings with the front half of his body up on the jungle gym and the rest of him coiled about it. I am sure they would be perfectly happy in a 12" cage though.

Your cage sounds nice - do you have pics? And how old is your Hogg?

Thanks again!

Sorry no pics of his cage :(
I really need to get some new pics of the herps and herp room taken!!!

He is almost three years old.
I also have a 1 year old female and a ~2 year old female.

Thank you - you've given me much to think about :)

How are the temperment on these here Hogg Isle Boas!!??

to my knowledge they are much like the Columbians, calm and docile. As long as you handle them like you are suppose to.

They are very similar to the Colombians but tend to be a little more attentive to movements in the cage and will track movements more than my Colombians. My two females are also like to make some pretty threatening hissing sounds when you try to take them out. They have NEVER lunged or struck though. It's all a big bluff. Once out of the cage they are as docile as any of the other snakes.

What's their activity level like say compared to a ball python? When out of the cage I'm assuming they are slow moving?

They are not as shy as BPs so you do see them more often cruisnging the cage. They are docile out of the cage, but love to cruise and explore.

That's what I was thinking/hoping. I can't imagine a snake more shy than a BP - but I still love my little guy!

If I got an '04 Hogg, what would be the minimum starter cage size and how long would that last? What's the average size of a hatchling/yearling?

Are Hoggs easily handleable by one person when they are adults? What's an average male adult weight? I keep trying to picture it's adult size compared to a Ball Python.

And finally, what temps and humidity do you keep yours at?

Thanks.

Let see.... minimum starter cage.... 20 gallon glass breeder (critter cage) with a sliding screen top. I would recommend biting the bullet and getting a 40 breeder and getting some extra hides. That will last you a lot longer and cost you less in the long haul. A 20 will last about six - nine months, the 40 gal will last for around 2 years depending on the growth rate of the indvidual snake.
I keep my HIs a couple of degrees cooler than my Colombians, 85-87°, instead of the Col's 86-88°. Humidity levels are the same though... 50-60% is the normal range.
Being shorter and lighter bodied than a Colombian they can be handled by most people.

Thank you. That is of great help.

I've been looking into this species and was wondering if anyone had a pic of an adult (preferably male) with something to reference their size? In particular, I'm trying to visualize how 'thick' an adult male gets. I've never seen one in person and have only seen pics - but the pics don't offer me an idea of how thick they are.

If noone has any pics, perhaps you can try to give me an idea by comparing it's size to a standard object (like: as thick as a waterhose, the large end of a baseball bat, a bowling ball, etc).

Hope this isn't asking too much - I'm just trying to visualize one. What few snakes I've seen in real life are often small young ones so I've not seen many adults of any species.

It has been my understanding that there is a substantial difference in size between the males and females - am I correct?

Also, I've found a few online Hogg breeders and one in particular sells Normal, Reduced Pattern and Hypo Hoggs. Are the later 2 types normal color variations that occur in the wild or were they created through captive breeding (and if so are these pure HOggs not crossed with any other species)?


Thanks!

A male will get roughly as big around as a Coke can.

Jeff over at the Boaphile.com just had a little of some totally gorgeous Sears line Hog Islands.... if you are serious about a Hog go with Jeff you can not go wrong with him.

Thank you so much. You have been a great help!

Thats me contributing to the deliqunecy of fellow reptile folk all over :D

Glad I could corrupt another :D

LOL - I guess you are feeding my addiction! :)

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