A couple thoughts:

1) brumation isn't just temp, it's light periodicity and lack of food. Not feeding's the easy part--if they're cool they won't want to feed anyway. But be sure to darken the room--a night light suffices; i have my lights on a timer and they come on for 1 hr/day.

2) be careful of ALL artificial heating or cooling devices. I bought a "7-11" style drink cooler, the kind you'd get sodas out of at the convenience store, AND had it rigged with a safety valve of some kind by a refrig specialist, and then decided to run it for a week before putting snakes in it. two or three days into the test i found the device with condensation all over the glass and an inside temp of more than 100. I don't remember what caused it, but it left an indelible note of caution.

3) ditto for incubators--others here can vouch for horror stories when a cheap electrical device killed a fortune in yet-to-hatch snakes.

4) i'm in fla and have a ton and a half a/c unit to cool my 8x11 snake room, where i cool the pyros. I leave the door open a few inches and it cools the adjacent honduran room about 5 degrees less, adjustable by opening the door more or less.

5) the greater the volume of air the less the risk--a simple malfunction can more quickly overheat or overcool a cubit foot than a 650 cu ft room.



good luck!

terry











>>How do people who live in warmer climates (like Florida) cool down their AZ Mt Kingsnakes for the winter. I understand that the snakes need to be kept so they don't get above 55 degrees for 3 months. I live in the Arizona desert and the high in the winter is almost always above 55 degrees. Does anyone have any suggestions?

>>

>>Thanks.

>>

>>Le Roy Shontz

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