brumation tubs

Kings. One of two trios of 08's in brumation. I put their familiar moss hides in with them, and their water bowls. They do get frisky so I put the water bowls in pans of moss to prevent water getting slopped around.

Bulls last year in brumation tub. In the warm season they live in a big screen cage.
Last year I brumated my 2009 bulls when they stopped eating, as the male began to lose weight. This year I am brumating nearly all my snakes, except the 2010 pyro hatchlings and a couple of Pacific gopher subadults who are still wanting to eat.
I put my brumation tubs in the coldest place in my bedroom of my small two room cabin, and wrap them in quilts to maintain the temperature at 50 to 55 degrees all winter. If it gets too cold I open the quilts to let the ambient air warm it up a tad. If it is really a bone chilling hard freeze I can turn on the UTHs which are plugged in but usually stay off for the winter. All this is monitored by indoor outdoor thermometers I can easily read just by looking at the quilts.
I live at 3200 ft elevation on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada foothills. I does get cold here, although not as bad as the Midwest. You should be able to find a closet or some such in the house that will work. Go around with an infrared thermometer and take readings.
You know what they say in the Midwest, there is nothing but a barb wire fence between us and the Arctic circle! LOL!
As I do this post I am just now getting the fire going; it is chilly on the floor in my bedroom, only 52 F! It is actually warmer in the snake tubs, at 55 F. I maybe should just crawl in with my snakes for the winter! LOL!
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

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