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I have seen you guys posting about snakes in brumation. Is this like hibernation? and what should I do to make sure Spot is as cozy as can be?

Posted by: bizkit421 at Fri Dec 1 22:55:40 2006 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

I have seen you guys posting about snakes in brumation. Is this like hibernation? and what should I do to make sure Spot is as cozy as can be?

You can do a lot of things. Just don't listen to a guy named FR on this forum. He will tell you to cover the snake with a blanket to keep it warm and put Vicks nyquil in its water dish.

The truth is snakes don't like to hibernate( brumate). If you go to the mountains when it first snows you can see snakes with their sunglasses shlizting down the slopes into the valleys below.

So, what should i expect from him appetite wise for this time of year? I usually offer him pinkies 2-3 times a week, and he almost always eats at least 1 when I offer, but lately he hasnt acted interested in food at all... is this normal?

Rainer,
How many beers did you have before writing that responce?LOL!
How come you didn't invite the rest of us over for the party?
Oh yeah, and be carefull. You might get Frank Retes all fired up, and he'll have to write a book to respond. JK!
Glad to see your starting off the weekend right.
-Phil

P.s. Take it easy on the new guy.

Rainer,
How many beers did you have before writing that responce?LOL!
How come you didn't invite the rest of us over for the party?
Oh yeah, and be carefull. You might get Frank Retes all fired up, and he'll have to write a book to respond. JK!
Glad to see your starting off the weekend right.
-Phil

*pops open another Pabst while Motorhead wafts in the backround*

beer? I want beer... umm... *raids her fridge* sweet, im not out yet...
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http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p72/bizkit_421/Spot02-24-06.jpg

Brumation and hibernation can basically be viewed as the same thing, although it seems that brumation may be the term that is shown greater favor.

First, if Spot has not eaten in a while, him wanting to brumate may not be the cause. Are you certain if he is fixing to shed or not? Have you had him his whole life? If not, there is a chance that whomever had him before you maybe put him in brumation before?

If you plan on brumating Spot, I would at first make sure he has good weight on him. If not, I would advise against brumation since sometimes really skinny snakes may not take too well with brumation and not make it through.

If he is ready though, make sure he goes through at least 2 full weeks from eating his last meal, so he does not have any more food left in his stomach. Then simply place him in a part of your home that can get down to the temps of perhaps 50-65 degrees to induce brumation. If so, 2 to 3 months is what a lot of breeders have their snakes down, and they do fine with that timeline.

If the temps can't get as low as what was mentioned, by placing him in a dark closet for maybe the same amount of time, can trigger the same effect. I have had to do this with a snake of mine that, out of the blue, for a few years decided to want to brumate, and I was not able to put her in those temps. The dark closet worked fine and ended up being in the late 60s. If you were brumating him with the plans of breeding him though, I don't know if the closet trick would work in terms of having his egg cells mature. You may need it colder.

Of course, during brumation, provide him with fresh water often, as snakes still will drink.

Take care and keep us posted!

Billy

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Genesis 1:1

Well, he (I'm still guessin on the sex, I have no idea) decided he wanted to eat today, so if brumation isnt something he has to do, I'm not gonna worry about it, and I bought him in February of 2005 at a Reptile Show and he was only about 4 inches long, so I've had him pretty much his entire life. He's healthy and seems happy, so I'm not gettin to excited about tryin anything different from what I've been doing.
Since he ate today, I figured I'd post some pics of him...
By the way, how do I tell if he's actually a male...

Judging by the pic with the mouse, Spot seems kind of on the heavy side, so he simply may have just not been hungry.

Finding out if he is a male or not, since he is about a year and a half, would be by probing. If you have any friends that have snake collections, they may have some probes, and I would suggest getting someone who is experienced in that area to help you with sexing Spot.

I am glad to hear that he has eaten!! If he does not need to brumate, then I would not even try.

Take care!
Billy
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Genesis 1:1

I'm not really too concerned with finding out his sex for sure. I'm the only one of my friends that isn't terrified of snakes, and I'm not payin the vet just to find out.

I don't have any intentions of breeding, so it really doesn't matter.

From what I can see of the tail, I'm guessing it is a male.
Pic of underside of tail would make it easier to guess - but probing is the only truly accurate way.

Snakes don't need to brumate - I have some that stop feeding and insist on it, but some that don't. Brumating is really only necessary when you want to breed.
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3.3.5 L. getula californiae
1.0 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
2.1.2 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

I have a Cali king that quit eating about 10 - 12 weeks ago. She was eating 2-3 hoppers every 5-6 days. I was keeping the Tank 85 degrees on the warm side 70 - 75 on the cool side. i kicked up the heat on the cool side about 4 weeks ago to 75-80 degrees and lo and behold last week she shed and hade a bm. So i feed her but she only ate 1 hopper. I would have thought she would have been really hungry after not eating for so long. My question is, is it normal for them to only eat a little after they come out of brumation will she regain her appetite and start to eat 2-3 hoppers like she had been because I ended up throwing 2 away, or should I be just giving her 1 for a while?