Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Would anyone like to comment on suboc temps?

I'm starting to think that one factor of my poor success with subocs years ago was keeping them too hot... mid 80s - dailey delta 4 degrees F.
Desert Snake = high Temp= maybe wrong.

Since I've found them in the wild on some pretty cool nights and days, and talking to a breeder in east Texas, I've lowered temps and it "seems" they are more hardy. high 70s - dailey delta 4 degrees F.

Mine are all still juveniles, so could there be a difference in activity, feeding reponse, general health with adults,etc.?

Your comments are very welcome....

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Regards, Bill McGighan

I have been keeping and breeding subocs for years and have found them to be like most snakes and need a variety of temps to breed consistantly. I keep my room temp at 76 with a heat tape under the back of the cage that gets up to 85 or 86. In the wild they do not live in the desert, they live under the desert. If you go into the mine shafts and caves in south west TX, you will find that the temp is in the 70's all year, regardless to the temp on the surface. So using the cracks and crevises, they can go from a surface temp in the 90's or 100's to a constant temp in the 70's.
One of the most common mistakes I see in captive breeding attemps is trying to breed them too early in the year. Even though some long term captives and CB's will breed early in the year, in the wild it seems that they breed later than most other colubrids in the same area. I have collected gravid females in late July and Aug. that did not lay until late Sept.
These eggs did not hatch until Nov. which made me look at juvies early in the spring to find that they still had what looked like fresh umbilicle scars. So,in the wild, do they incubate near the surface in the 80's and hatch in Nov. or deeper in the cracks and crevises in the upper 70's and maybe carry over till spring.
Most of my experience is in Brewster and Presidio Co. and may vary from the eastern and northern parts of their range.
Just something to think about.
Later
Rick

Thanks Rick,
Seeing your setup was the first time I got the inclination that I had kept them too warm in the past.
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AND, the blond female and het-for-blond male that I got from you last year are doing fantastic!!!! Eating well.. Growing well……
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Regards, Bill McGighan