Posted by:
FR
at Thu Sep 26 09:48:32 2013 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by FR ]
Yes sir, something has changed, if you noticed, its fall, and its a time for change in the field. Its not a time of hibernation.
Once the days get shorter and the nights get cooler, hogs, as well as all other colubrids, move from areas that are not suitable, to areas that are suitable. Many adults may not, if their feeding season was highly successful. Neonates continue to feed heavily. In fact, Its in the middle of their feeding season.
In your care, you "think" air temps are important, so that is what you measure. The problem is, air temps are NOT important to snakes. Air temps are loosely related to mass temps, but are so far off, they are not important. Snakes go by mass temps. As it cools down outside, the cool is passed onto the mass of your house. Do you use the AC as much now as you did last month????? That cool effects the mass of that cabinet you mentioned. That effects the animals. They sense the pending drop and need to move. But they cannot.
If you increased the ambients to the mid to high 80's say, 87F, they would continue to feed. If they are fat enough and have grown to a point your happy, then don't bother. But please understand, that is about you and your wants and needs. Its not about them.
In nature, they would move to areas of hotter mass. Open areas, west facing, with the longest sun exposure, for instance.
If you live in a area that is really cold, they will stay in the sunny areas, then once its to cold to use the surface or near the surface, you will go down to a suitable conservation temp, and stay behaviorally active(if your a breeder)
Anyway, its about your mass temps, that trigger their need to move and if they cannot, they shut down. As I said, is fine if they are at a point your happy with.
Its up to you as they are confined and cannot do it own their own. Best wishes
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