Frank,



You have snakes in different rooms and they do different things. Seems pretty obvious to me.



I have snakes in different drawers of the SAME RACK that are choosing to behave VERY differently under the same conditions.



>>>So you say you have males that choose to hibernate. Let me see, no food, no females, nothing to do, WHAT THE HECK DO YOU EXPECT THEM TO DO?



Except for the fact that I said in my first post (the one you evidently still haven't read) that I have been offering them food. And funily enough that you should write that because this year for the first time I tried introducing males and females in winter to see what they would do...The answer for those who care...absolutely nothing.



>>>>now consider, I also have the same species in another room(a room that gets cold) are not not feeding, Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Heck, the rooms are seperated by 6 inches. So explain to me how its all about their behavioral need to hibernate.



OK, I will. YOU ARE IN ARIZONA. So are both rooms.



When I say my cages are 55-85 that is an average. The 85 stays constant (its on a thermostat), but the window is open and the cold side has gone down below freezing on several nights. When was the last time either of your snake rooms were exposed to 27 degrees?



>>>>>Then you say, they have choices from 55F to 85F, who the frog droppings ever said thats a proper temp range, That sir, SUCKS and if thats all they had in nature, THEY WOULD CEASE TO EXSIST.

>>>>>Try giving a range of 55F to 100F(small hotspot) You see, that is indeed the range most colubrids pick from. Of course its an average, as they will indeed choose both higher and lower.



Alright I have asked this question MANY times and every time you have ignored it. I would LOVE to keep my kings year round in enclosures with a gradient of 35-110 degrees but I can't think of a realistic way to do it. So I will ask one more time...and if you answer nothing else, please just tell me...



HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR KINGS SO THAT THEY ALWAYS HAVE THIS HUGE GRADIENT THAT YOU FAULT THE REST OF US FOR NOT HAVING?



A 30 degree range is as good as I can get...and I dare say its better than most of the people on here. Before I ever tried to breed snakes I kept them as pets. I had several kings in four foot long fishtanks that were in my basement

(no windows) and the tanks stayed the EXACT same temps/humidity/substrate...everything... all year long. If I had to guess I would say that the range was 70-100F year round. Yet each winter I had some snakes refuse food all winter long. And because the temps were too warm, they lost weight so now I keep them lower.



So this range of 70-100 was good enough to "suport living" all year long but then in winter it was not anymore? Hmmmm You think that maybe their needs change in winter?



>>>>So, I have a room with a number of snakes happily feeding like pigs, and I have several species of turtles laying eggs and I have monitors, laying eggs like pez despencers, RIGHT THE HECK NOW. and its mid January. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm I guess I don't get it, but indeed, I do get it, as I am recieving eggs NOW. hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Oh yea, these turtles are suppose to hibernate too.



And I think that is pretty cool. I have a cornsnake that is ovulating now and pythons that are copulating as I type....But we are talking about kings here.





>>>>If I want them inactive, I simply give them conditions to become inactive, if I want them to be active, I support that, if I want them to breed, then I support that.



What happened to letting them decide? lol



>>>>Its not about HIBERNATION or brumation. THOSE ARE SIMPLY BEHAVIORS TO WAIT OUT CONDITIONS THAT DO NOT SUPPORT LIVING. Which is a reptilian advantage.



I disagree. I'm sorry but I do. I think that when a species spends hundreds of thousands of years adapting to a certain environment (one that gets colder in winter) that their body and their metabolism develope needs based on that environment. Everything that my kings do points me towards that conclusion, and I hope you respect me for trying to listen to them before listening to you.



And I am not trying to start a fight but I DO take this seriously. I have a lot to learn from everyone on this forum, and I have a room full of captive animals whos well being depends on me. Hopefully you will keep trying to prove me wrong.



Cheers

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