Sexing and Characteristics:
There are several ways of sexing a snake but the main ones are popping & probing, both of these ways are reliable with probing being the most accurate.
If you need your snake sexed, make sure this gets done by a professional.
Hogg Island Boas are a naturally occurring dwarf Hypomelanistic Boa from the Cayos Cachinos Islands of Santa Elena generally have a cream/tan background colour with pink/orange & grey hues, typically with black speckling to the body although not all Hoggs have this.
They also display a darker/lighter colouration depending on temperature, mood, health & time of day, they are usually at their palest during the night.
Size:
Generally Hogg Island Boas reach between 4-6 ft, with the females being bigger reaching around 6ft.
It is rare for Hogg Islands to reach over 6ft but it has been documented that some have reached around 7-8 ft but this is seldomely seen.
Substrate and Water Needs:
For bedding you can use a variety of things, Pine & Cedar are to be avoided as these are toxic to reptiles. You can use newspaper or paper towel which are cheap but not very appealing. Aspen, Auboise, Orchid bark or similar is your best bet, there fairly cheap and look good.
You will need a fair sized water bowl, one the snake can submerse its body in.
Lighting and UVB:
Hoggs have no special lighting requirements but if you do use a basking bulb, please ensure the light has a bulb guard to avoid your snake from being burnt.
Temperatures & Humidity:
Your Boa should be kept at temperatures between 28 - 30’C.
To achieve these temperatures several heating devices can be used such as:
Heatmats
Basking/Infrared Bulbs
AHS heaters
Ceramic bulbs
These are down to personal preference & all should be used with the appropriate Thermostats to control the temperature & avoid overheating.
Hogg Islands humidity should be around 40-50% which can be increased whilst shedding.
A moss box can be provided when they are shedding to help assist them.
If help is needed choosing heating/thermostat options, please do not hesitate to contact us & we will guide you in the right direction.
Housing:
An adult Hogg Island Boa can be housed in a 4ft x 2ft x 2ft vivarium.
Young Hoggs are best kept in small tubs, with secure hides as they may go off feeding if they feel insecure.
Provide them with 2 hides, one in the hot end & one in the cool end, an appropriately sized water bowl should also be provided.
Older Hoggs can be housed in 50L tubs or a 4x2x2ft vivarium if big enough.
Diet:
Carnivorous
Description of Diet:
Young Hoggs are able to take fuzzies on their first feed.
You should be able to start feeding your snake on fuzzies but if they are on the smaller side then large pinkies would be ideal. You may feed them every 5 to 7 days at this point.
As the snake grows it will need larger prey items. You will know when they need to go up a size once you can’t see the food item in their belly anymore.
Older snakes should be fed on an appropriately sized meal every 2-3 weeks to avoid becoming overweight.
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage:
Generally supplementations are not needed but I feel that calcium should be used for breeding females to help the production of the babies to replace the females calcium levels.
Maintenance:
They are very easy snakes to keep & attractive to look at, this is why they make good pet snakes.
I would recommend changing their water every 1-2 days, spot clean every few days, and clean them out properly every 1-2 months, using an appropriate disinfectant.
Handling your Hogg should help keep them calm & easy to handle.
Sometimes Hoggs will hiss in order to scare a ‘predator’ this is often a warning but mainly a bluff. If you have a nippy one, don’t let it put you off, they calm down easily.
Some Words on this Species:
They are a very pretty dwarf sized Boa & are very manageable but as with most snakes can have long life spans, so be prepared to take care for an animal for the rest of its life.
I would say they make excellent pets as they are calm, attractive & typically slow moving snakes although they can be heavy bodied but are not as large as many Pythons & Boas available in captivity.