Hog Island BCI, out and about!

[Kioka]

I was under the impression that the hog isle BCI's never got to the 8' mark.

Actually, it's quite common for Hogg Island females to reach 7'-9'. Unlike the other insular boas, Hogg Island (and Clouded) are capable of reaching the full size of the mainland.

 

[lovespunaround]

Dude told me it could live in a 20 long as an adult. I asked Dave Barker and he said most likely yeah, as in their natural habitat they might only get ten or so meals in a year so they won't get very large unless fed an unnaturally large amount. I'll probably feed it two or three times a month while it's small, then less when he gets big.

 

[Kioka]

The problem with the Hogg Island is that their small size is not due to genetics, but rather a product of their environment; when you put them in a captive environment where they are being fed weekly or biweekly they grow to the size indicated above.

 

[lovespunaround]

Okay, well I'm trying to find a balance between the snake's natural habitat and its captive habitat. Just because they will grow to that size if fed more doesn't mean they should be fed more. They must be doing alright out on Hog Island with only ten meals a year. It obviously is not detrimental to the snake.

 

[Kioka]

Okay, well I'm trying to find a balance between the snake's natural habitat and its captive habitat. Just because they will grow to that size if fed more doesn't mean they should be fed more. They must be doing alright out on Hog Island with only ten meals a year. It obviously is not detrimental to the snake.

Well, the thing is that almost ALL organisms undergo dwarfism if they are not receiving the supplements they need to thrive.

Take a Bullsnake from Alberta and put it into captivity, it will grow to be 6-8' feet. Take a Texas Bullsnake and release it into the Albertan wild, and it will only grow to be 3'-5'.

 

[lovespunaround]

Just because they can reach a larger size does not mean they aren't thriving if they don't. I wouldn't say the wild Hog Island BCIs aren't thriving, especially since they've been growing to adulthood and breeding successfully long enough to become phenotypically distinct from mainland BCI.

 

[Jessica Dring]

well actually they are getting starved if they arent reaching the length they can reach.

Its easy to stunt a snake.

If im correct in thinking it aint WC and aint in the wild anymore..then you have to start treating it like a captive. Not like its still in the wild.

 

[lovespunaround]

If they only grow that long in captivity, where they're fed significantly more than in the wild, it's a good sign that they don't need to be fed that much to be healthy. Do you consider the wild population to be starving because they don't eat enough as captive snakes and therefore don't grow as long, whether they're otherwise completely healthy and successfully reproducing?

 

[walls]

Okay, well I'm trying to find a balance between the snake's natural habitat and its captive habitat. Just because they will grow to that size if fed more doesn't mean they should be fed more. They must be doing alright out on Hog Island with only ten meals a year. It obviously is not detrimental to the snake.

I agree completely here, IMO it would be harder on the snake (liver, kidneys ect.) of it were "overfed" rather than what it would consume in its normal habitat.

And to assume that the wild Hogg Isle BCI's arent thriving because of thier smaller size is assinine.

 

[walls]

Here is a nice little fact sheet from a guy that I would trust more than just about anyone when it comes to boa locales.

http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/boas_island.htm