I have a ball python and a corn snake and my question is, do all snakes need to go through a brumation period in the winter, and for how long? I know it is for mating, and I'm not trying to breed my snakes, but does it need to be done anyway? I tried looking up a little bit about it, but it doesn't actually say exactly why you NEED to this. So any information would be helpful.
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brumation?
frostypaws
Dec 20, 2006 06:09 PM
Replies (2)
duffy
Dec 21, 2006 08:58 AM
No, you don't need to worry about this topic if you don't intend to breed. And even if you do, some snakes will not require it. You should gather info on that species.
For species that come from areas that get colder in the winter, brumation is often needed, or at least desired, if breeding. Also, some snakes will go off feed anyway in the winter, and brumation can help them reserve resources. Several of my larger North American Ratsnakes stop eating in the fall, and it makes sense for me to cool them down for awhile to cycle them back up.
If you are not breeding and your snakes are eating heartily, don't even worry about it. If they go off feed for more than a few weeks, then gather some more info on that species and see if it might be a good idea. Duffy
Paul Hollander
Dec 21, 2006 09:09 AM
Good questions.
First, ball pythons are tropical snakes. DO NOT brumate a ball python. Trying to brumate a ball python like a temperate zone snake is likely to kill the python.
A corn snake CAN be brumated but does not NEED to be brumated. Not even to induce breeding. Other species, like northerly species of garters, are brumated because it is part of the stimuli required to induce mating and reproduction. Even these do not NEED to be brumated if reproduction is not planned.
Sometimes, temperate zone snakes pick up stimuli that tell them it is time to brumate. Part of the preparation for brumation is to stop feeding and let the gut empty out. But nonfeeding snakes still use their body fat reserves for life support. Chilling them down for a couple of months minimizes the drain on their fat reserves. When they are warmed up, they are usually fine eaters. So in these cases, brumation is less stressful on both the snake and the herper than keeping the snake warm. But even in these cases, burmation is recommended rather than mandatory.
Paul Hollander
