[dcap]

So, with various colubrids in my collection, most have had their last meal of the year, couple of others one more feed. A couple have gone off the food already (my best and most enthusiast feeders). So the signs are there that it is that time of year. Its time to drop to room temp for a while, and drop the temp in that room, find the last poo of the year, and then proper brumation. Some need a month, some up to 3 months (mandarins). Got a couple of Lampropeltis that were taken in as non-feeders and their only 3 feeds have been with me, so they will stay eating a little longer.

Where is the best place to brumate?

I have a dark understairs cupboard, dark kitchen cabinets (kitchen is kept cool). I could turn the heating off in the bedroom (I like it cold at night) and close the curtains until end of Feb!!

Where do you find the 10'C area or is 15'C okay?
My garage is insulated (and is staying at 8'C when outside has already seen minus, but it certainly going to get too cold for the snakes in winter)

 

[Lord Vetinari]

Under the kitchen sink for me!

 

[studley]

brumation

10- 15 is fine
I don't like to go below 10 degrees even for the mountain kings and russian rats.

 

[gregmonsta]

I have been using my kitchen cupboard for several years because I know that the temperature stays within an acceptable range for my snakes. I tested many locations around the flat the year prior to my first full brumation.
Even with this being indoors temps will go down to 6C during the coldest periods. At any rate, wherever you chose, you'll have to monitor closely without previous data. I would not suggest the garage unless you build some sort of chamber with additional heating to cater for extreme temp drops. It'll be worth having thermometers in multiple locations this year at any rate to better prepare for next year.

 

[dcap]

fear not, they are not going in the garage - I know it'll get too cold. Although its a good place to pop the mandarin in the summer if the house gets too hot. I could heat it, but in the winter its too damp in there anyway.

I've had a thermometer in a cupboard for a few days (upstairs, and too wam) - I'll move the thermometer to the kitchen cabinet for this week and see what I get. And I'll keep the thermometer in there the whole time. Plus weekly water change and a peak at some grumpy sleepy snakes

cheers all

 

[mickmorelia]

All mine brumate , chill out etc in their own vivs I just turn the heating of in the vivs and they all drop to about 60 f . I have back up heating in the room should it drop lower . The curtains are left open so the snakes still get the natural photoperiod and some of them are still active [ diamond pythons , etc ],albeit rather sluggishly during the winter months .

 

[AilsaM]

Last year when I brumated my hoggie is was a drawer in the kitchen with temps between 10-15*C, this year however it looks like my hog is not trying to brumate on her own so she wont be cooled, unless of course she shows me signs of wanting to do this but she's feeding very well as normal so I'll let her decide.

 

[Beardy Boy97]

Sorry to go off topic a bit but do you have to brumate.mi have a corn and a milk and I didn't brumate either last year and they carried on eating all the way through winter

 

[vipera]

Brumation

Sorry to go off topic a bit but do you have to brumate.mi have a corn and a milk and I didn't brumate either last year and they carried on eating all the way through winter

If they carry on feeding through the winter then essentially the choice is yours.
If they stop feeding then you should really cool them down to prevent them from losing a lot of weight/condition.
I always cool mine regardless and have only ever seen benefits from doing so, also saves a lot of mice!

 

[AilsaM]

If they carry on feeding through the winter then essentially the choice is yours.
If they stop feeding then you should really cool them down to prevent them from losing a lot of weight/condition.
I always cool mine regardless and have only ever seen benefits from doing so, also saves a lot of mice!

This is why I cooled my hoggie last year, she stopped feeding, slowed right down, spent all her time in the cool end and lost a bit of weight tho only a few grams, I cooled her and then once warmed up she was fine and feeding normally, this year though she's shown none of last years signs, I was expecting to have to cool her again and have been prepared to do so but she's been great and feeding very well.

 

[dcap]

Sorry to go off topic a bit but do you have to brumate.mi have a corn and a milk and I didn't brumate either last year and they carried on eating all the way through winter

that's a big debate and some rather long and details threads already (in fact - if there weren't already too many stickies to scroll past I think there should be a stick - but hey).

It all comes down to one of these views:
- some people insist that you MUST brumate to keep the snakes healthy, give their metabolism a rest, and its often viewed essential for successful breeding
- some just don't brumate, have no problems and also breed
- some people drop temps a bit and slow the feeding right down
- and a very mixed bag in the middle!

As per the comment in the message above, you've got to decide what you want to do. Again, some people would have a size limit, say 40g for a certain species - less than that they don't brumate, over and they do. One viewpoint is that if you don't brumate their first winter and then do brumate their second and then breed them its all a bit of a shock and can go wrong.

Even though I have a pair of hondurans that I took on as non-feeders recently, which had never every eaten, they hatch huge, and I've got them feeding - but timing wise they've only had 3 meals with me. Some people would still brumate them. In this example, I'm not going to since I'd rather see them have a few more feeds - sure I can still get a bundle of food into them before year end and then brumate for Jan/Feb, but I'll see how they go.

One classic sign is when they stop eating without you doing anything. My Diones are fabulous feeders - my female has a great appetite and refused her last two meals, totally unheard of for her. So, the snake is telling me its time. The male stopped a couple of weeks before her. Everything else is still eating reliably.

 

[Beardy Boy97]

Ok thanks for the help. I think I will just leave them because I don't plan to breed or anything. So I will carry on as normal and if they decide to stop eating then I will cool them

 

[dcap]

yey, kitchen cupboard is reading 14'C at the mo ... will turn the dial down on the kitchen radiator a bit (other side of the room) and keep the thermometer in there and keep watching while I drop the snakes to room temp in the snake room

(and then find somewhere for the stuff that was in the kitchen cupboard!)