Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had my collection at 65 for the last 5 weeks, but can not get the room any cooler (South Texas). I just put my fridge on the warmest setting possible and it stays near 45 (43-47). I would like to cool my alterna, mexicana, and annulata at a cooler temp (
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South Texas Herps

That is missing the last half of the message, thats weird, here is what it should have read:

"I have had my collection at 65 for the last 5 weeks, but can not get the room any cooler (South Texas). I just put my fridge on the warmest setting possible and it stays near 45 (43-47). I would like to cool my alterna, mexicana, and annulata at a cooler temp (
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South Texas Herps

It did it again, I think it was a " < " behind a " ( " that caused the problem, this should work.
That is missing the last half of the message, thats weird, here is what it should have read:

"I have had my collection at 65 for the last 5 weeks, but can not get the room any cooler (South Texas). I just put my fridge on the warmest setting possible and it stays near 45 (43-47). I would like to cool my alterna, mexicana, and annulata at a cooler temp (< 65). Is 45 to cold for the snakes, or should I leave them at 65 for the next three weeks? Another possibility is that I put the fridge on a timer, to keep it a little warmer, but that may not be very good for the electric bill. Any ideas?"

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South Texas Herps

But I would worry about fresh air and circulation..

I am sure that somebody has actually tried it though and can give you experience instead of just advice.

sure enough, I know at least two folks who tried it and lost everything they put in it. Don't do. Either figure out a way to cool the whole room or just go with what you have, I know several folks who don't cool below 65 the whole 6 weeks and still breed the heck out of their snakes, alterna included.

Joe,
Do you know why they lost everything? Was it to cold for to long, or was it a lack of air exchange, or something else? Just to make sure, Is six weeks at 65 long enough for mexicana and alterna?

Thanks
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South Texas Herps

Not positive, but probably both too cold and lack of air exchange, read RAK's post, I think he's on the right track.

I have a good dedicated fridge I am using. By turning off the Freezer I am able to cool it to 55 Degrees. HOWEVER I drilled two small holes. One I ran an aquraium tube thru which is attached to an air pump the other is a vent hole. So far so good, and fingers are crossed all goes well, BTW I also check them everyday.

>>I have a good dedicated fridge I am using. By turning off the Freezer I am able to cool it to 55 Degrees. HOWEVER I drilled two small holes. One I ran an aquraium tube thru which is attached to an air pump the other is a vent hole. So far so good, and fingers are crossed all goes well, BTW I also check them everyday.

Hey, great minds think alike--I'm using a 6-bottle size wine cellar for my animals (no alterna) with the glass door and digital temp control. The temp can be dialed down to 45, which it is, but I do the aquarium tube vent thing too--the difference is I stick the tube into a cup of water in the fridge to help raise the humidity. Kind of hampers the cooling mechanism, since it's trying to take moisture OUT of the air, but the result is temps in the low 50s, with 75% humidity. My box turtles actually GAIN weight some winters due to absorption!

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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet

Many years ago, I brumated a Utah Milksnake in my refrigerator. It survived, but those guys normally experience much cooler temps in the wild than do alterna. I definitely wouldn't recommend refrigerating an alterna. I think 65 is cool enough.

A good guideline for hibernation temps, IMHO, is the average annual temperature for the area where the snake originated. Temps many feet below the surface should be around this value. The average annual temp for Del Rio is 72F!

I can't give any advice on the fridge but in my opinion constant 45 is way too low. It is ok if it gets in the low 40's for short periods of time but not if it's all the time. I would much prefer a constant 65 over a contant 45.
Something that is probably just as important a hibernation temps are the temps for the males right after hibernation and during breeding trials. I would suggest feeding the males smaller meals and providing a hot spot of only 78 during breeding trials with a nighttime drop into the high 60's to low 70's.

Thanks for all the great info, I will go put my food back in the fridge. Is six weeks long enough at 65, or shoulg I go longer?

Thanks
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South Texas Herps

I took my students to Earth Camp this week, and part of it included caving. It turns out that underground temps are very stable and hover between 68-70F.
Go figure. I have had my critters down near 50 for years, but I guess it's not really necessary.
When the temps come up into the 60s, my snakes will roam occasionally, and that's just fine. Maybe its all about light cycles.
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...and I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."