Some Colubridae species need to be brumated at extremely low temperatures while others only need a difference in photoperiod and a slight drop in temperatures. No matter what word you use to describe this process it is a necessity for many species of snakes to induce breeding in spring. I suggest reading an article John Taylor wrote a few years back as he describes the differences and similarities in great detail. Hibernation versus brumation has been a controversial topic for many years in herpetoculture. The overwintering, hibernation and most commonly called brumation in herpetoculture are all the same describing a process of cooling temperatures and lower metabolism in cold-blooded reptiles. Colubrids typically breed in early spring there are a few steps to make sure your snake is able to thrive through this period. Some serpents breed during this time, while others wait for the spring warm up. Summertime BBQ’s are over, kids are back in school, and reptiles are being prepared for their overwintering process in many collections throughout herpetoculture. Having vet checks is probably the best you can do for them, and follow general brumation advice then hope for the best.īut I'll warn that it won't increase their welfare and you don't have the 'benefit' of breeding to weigh against the risks.Conant’s Milksnake from west-central Mexico is from an area where temperatures rarely drop below 65. You'll only know when they don't wake up. You can't monitor behaviour when in brumation- they will be in torpor and there will be little visible difference between a healthy and dying snake- it can be hard enough at the best of times. Males can go off food as daylight increases in spring, but that's because of breeding behaviour rather than brumation. It's not a behaviour they exhibit by choice- Otherwise they'd always go off food with changes in daylight and not temperature, which is not something I've encountered. If you have peer reviewed evidence that brumating in captivity is actually beneficial for their health then please do share- it will be an interesting read. But that is absolutely not good for their welfare. An extreme example is that wild snakes are exposed to predators so using that logic we should do the same in captivity. With pet keeping we strive for the best welfare of our animals, not necessarily what is most natural. (The potatoes and onions sprout like mad)Įven with vet checkup brumation/ hibernation is still not risk free. I will buy a wine fridge now for my snakes, potatoes and onions. It’s great for humans, but it was hard to cool my bedroom to at least 16☌. Just two snakes chilling in their fridge and waiting for spring.Įdit: Last year it was quite a hassle because my apartment is awesomely isolated. What is your experience with baby‘s first hibernation? Did you come across anything remarkable? Any tipps you want to give? I just realised that the 20l of fresh, nearly black humus will not help finding baby snake poo. To be honest, I just worry about finding poop of him for testing at the vet. All the guides I found didn’t much mention any special precautions for baby snakes. But for Schnecke it will his first time and he is now three months old. For Corny it’s easy to handle as he is now two years old. It’s October and I need to start preparing the hibernation for my corn snakes. I am just looking for any tipps if their first hibernation might be notable. You might have a different opinion, but my way is good for the snakes and valid as well. I was complimented several times by reptile vets (note that we have a university vet clinic here with reptile specialists 24/7) and snake breeders for my husbandry of the snakes. I keep my snakes at the most natural way possible and I will not discuss this. In most parts of their natural habitat they do hibernate. Edit: This is not about the question if I will hibernate my snakes.
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