Spring always brings a sense of excitement to our snake room—but not just because of the warmer temps. For us, spring marks the start of breeding season, and this year, our proven western hognose pair—Bajsa and Albi—didn’t disappoint.
They’ve bred before, but every season is a little different. The behavior, the timing, the interactions—it all adds up to a unique experience. And if you’ve ever wondered how hognose snakes flirt, mate, and prepare for egg-laying, here’s a firsthand look.
Before we get into the action, let’s talk about the pair.
Bajsa is our big, bold female—she’s nearly three times the size of Albi and definitely rules the roost. Like many female hognoses, she’s also quite food-motivated, which means we always proceed with caution when introducing a male to her enclosure. In the wild (and in captivity), females have been known to mistake a smaller male for a snack if they’re not in the right phase of their reproductive cycle.
Albi is our compact, gentle male. For such a small guy, he’s surprisingly brave—approaching Bajsa without hesitation, even though she easily outweighs him three to one. He’s experienced, but still takes his time getting into breeding mode
We always monitor the first introduction carefully. Once Albi was placed into Bajsa’s terrarium, it didn’t take long for things to get interesting.
Bajsa started exhibiting the classic breeding twitch—a rhythmic, full-body vibration that signals sexual receptivity. This behavior is subtle, but unmistakable once you’ve seen it. It’s her way of saying, “I’m ready.”
Albi took a bit longer to catch on, which is normal. Males often assess the female’s behavior before approaching. Once he recognized her signal, he began making his way along her body, attempting to align their tails for mating.
Unlike mammals or birds, snake courtship is mostly tactile and chemical. The female’s breeding twitch and pheromone signals play a critical role.
When the male is interested and the timing is right, he starts “riding” alongside her body, nudging and gently prodding as he tries to line up their cloacas. The goal? A lock—the term for a successful connection during which the male inserts one of his hemipenes (he has two) into the female’s cloaca, allowing for fertilization.
This process can take hours, or even days. It often involves several failed attempts, brief rests, and lots of subtle communication between the two.
On the first day, Bajsa and Albi spent most of their time attempting to line up, but no luck. That night, they curled up next to each other, calm and quiet. Then, just after 10 AM the next morning, it happened: a successful lock!
They remained connected—tail to tail—for nearly six hours. This is completely normal. A long lock helps ensure successful fertilization.
Eventually, they gently separated on their own. Afterward, we carefully removed Albi from the enclosure and gave him a short soak in warm water to help clean off some stuck substrate. His hemipenes were still partially visible, which can happen. The soak helped him retract them fully and comfortably.
Now we wait. If fertilization was successful, we should start seeing signs of gravid development (gravid = pregnant, in reptile terms) over the next few weeks.
One key milestone we’ll be watching for is the pre-lay shed. This is a full-body shed that usually occurs 4–10 days before egg-laying. It’s one of the most reliable indicators that eggs are on the way.
In the meantime, Bajsa is getting a little extra care. We’ve increased her calcium intake slightly to support healthy eggshell formation—egg production requires a lot of calcium, and supplementation helps prevent deficiencies that could lead to egg binding or soft shells.
If all goes according to plan, we should see eggs in about 7–9 weeks from the date of the lock. From there, incubation begins, and in a few more weeks—tiny, squirmy, adorable hatchlings.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on Bajsa and sharing updates as things progress. If you’re as curious about hognose breeding as we are, stay tuned—this is just the beginning of the story.
And as always - stay happy, stay curious, and give your hoggie a gentle boop from me.
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