That's an interesting point about the moist hides, that's actually something I never thought to put in during brumation. My thoughts were always that they should be dried out during the brumation period, thinking that adding moisture in the colder temps would risk respiratory infections (my mother always told me never to go out in the cold in wet clothes or I'd catch a cold!)

It seems in this case the opposite was true...



My other thinking on the drier conditions came from reading weather reports on Thailand and other Souteast Asian countries. Apparently, snakes from these areas endure a monsoon season in the late summer to fall months, and then a slight drop in temps (down to the lower sixties but not much lower) and a dry spell for a few weeks during the "winter", followed by an increase in rainfall and higher temps signaling spring. I've been trying to mimic this (more for my own edification admittedly than the snakes' actual need for these cycles).



Well, they've all gone through a shed now, some earlier, some later, so I guess at this point, I have nothing left to do but start warming them in a few weeks, and maybe think next year about brumating the localities seperately, keeping my NA rats cooler and the Asians a bit warmer so I can keep some humidity.



Thanks for the feedback guys, I really appreciate it!

Kris

[ Hide Replies ]

• Radiated rat snakes and other Asians and brumation... (long) - Krisg, Tue Jan 18 09:31:51 2005
• Kris, let me make a start on this... - jfirneno, Tue Jan 18 19:09:23 2005
• Let me make a little jab here.... - Terry Cox, Wed Jan 19 05:03:08 2005
• Thanks guys...(more) - krisg, Wed Jan 19 07:49:42 2005
• Hey Terry, glad to hear it's starting to warm up out west... - jfirneno, Wed Jan 19 09:34:01 2005