Posted by:
FR
at Wed Apr 21 14:40:11 2010 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by FR ]
Hi Tony, I did go check it out.
The problem is not a short cooling period, a cooling only period is not needed period. I have produced all manner of reptiles that are suppose to require hibernation or cooling, without cooling.
What they do require is cool in addition to heat and timing.
If you "bring" an animal out of hibernation, you take timing out of their hands and put it in yours. If you allow them to become active as they want, then they make the right decisions.
In most cases, if brought out at the same time, females can cycle before males are producing viable sperm. But that does not stop them from copulating.
ALso heating small cages like sweater boxes can be problematic. That is, you think there is a temp range when in reality there is not one. You see, they must use the range, thats why I call it a usable range. If you provide a range of temps in a way they do not use it, its the same as not providing one.
With a choice of temps, they will pick what they want, like in nature. They will stay active if they want and if they need to feed all winter, they will and still produce successfully, or they may choose to only use the cool areas as food is not needed. Again, its all good.
They choose temps by need such as to digest food. If you stop feeding them, they will go down all on their own. In most cases, thats what occurs in nature. Prey becomes scarce and they move to cooler temps(hibernate, brumate) to conserve energy. They then come up when the temps allow and the conditions are there to support what they are doing(reproduction or feeding)
In otherwords, you do not have to hibernate them, they will hibernate themselves. You do not have to Bring them up, they will come up when needed.
I know, what does that leave you the keeper to do. Clean cages and provide food, harvest eggs. The fun part is, that is what they do. That is what they are designed to do, that is what they are. How they do what they need to do is what we should learn from them, not how they respond to what we do to them.
Again, I am not sure what you did, but I think you like others, do it halfway. That is, try a little of this and keep some of that. Which results in a longer learning curve for you.
I am not sure what milksnakes your talking about, but most true milksnakes to not occur where hibernation is REQUIRED. The vast majority of milksnakes occur where they can maintain activity all year long. Sure, a front here and there will hinder that, but that soon passes.
I use to get confused when people would say, I breed kingsnakes, hmmmmmmmm icky icky icky. I guess if you control all they do, then you do breed them. But if you provide normal conditions for them. They breed eachother, you are just the janitor. I love being a janitor that learns what they do, not what I tell them to do. Cheers
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RE: MarkG/ Coconut fiber stuff /nest Box... - FR, Wed Apr 21 14:40:11 2010
