Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Since this is an Indigo forum I thought I would start with the Cribos.

The weather here in Kansas has gotten down to 55F. I have left my captive hatched Unicolor male in the Indoor outdoor enclosure since he is the one who has adjusted the best. He sometimes will go outside when you mess with him but is smart enough to zip right back inside where it is warm (data I was curious about) my wild caught female did spend part of one night out at 60F with no ill effects.

I will get pics as all the Pseustes and Crebos did very well in the enclosures when alone. I will be locking the doggie door when temps get near freezing. WARNING there MUST be two doggie doors if two snakes are using the same cage I lost a spare male Pseustes when the female blocked access for him to come back in, he got too hot. That was my only setback.

My Ptyas eat and process food every two to three days (scary). I have 21 of them and not one has ever refused a meal. They like the temp between 86 and 90 as mine are neonates and thriving at that temp. They all just finished the first shed while in my care and are on meal #7.

I have noticed that Pseustes like to be 90F also while my tropical Cribos are thriving around 86F eating like pigs and no regurgitation. My Pseustes have been finicky feeders until I raised the ambient temps now they all eat like pigs.

That is all I can think of for now………Bill
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Thanks for the updates Bill. I'm really interested in your work with the Pytas. I wish I would have picked some up when i had the chance. The little tidbits you share are greatly appreciated!

bill, are you saying that his internal caging was so hot that it actually killed him!? i have to think that you may be WAY overestimating your captives tolerance to 'warmth'. afterall, the average ground temp. in tropical forests [even] around the equator averages just barely 75*. this is actually most species main range only punctuated w/ occasional breaks in brighter light when they desire. sorry for your loss.......

The entrance exit was blocked by my female and he got stuck outside and could not get past her and yes succumbed to heat from direct sun. I fixed the problem and had no further problems.

I check the weather in the tropics (on line) from the areas in which my snakes are from and if you did the same you would be surprised. There are many days at 92F so I am not sure which tropics you are talking about. I also have noticed that the racer complex has a problem with artificial light but not the problem you are thinking of. I have also been to the tropics and took my temp gun and a snake in direct sun has options well over 120F just like here.

The flicker fusion rate is 60Hz. A light bulb actually has a strobe. Animals with fast reflexes see a flashing light rather than a constant light. The human brain rarely sees the strobe while other animals will just see a flashing light such as chickens in chicken houses that need skylights to adjust for this. My falcons also need compensation for this.

I have noticed that all my imported snakes will not bask under a light bulb while some of my captive raised snakes will. When I offered my female wild caught Unicolor the natural basking option she would bask at 90F very often with a 76F as her inside option but again will bask at 90F! She NEVER basks under her artificial light so go figure. Once she is warmed up she will come inside but will bask three hours at a time.

Sometimes the herp community gets stuck in a rut as far as creative thinking. By observing snakes in a wild setting it is easier to make adjustments to accommodate them. A few creative thinkers have made progress breeding eastern indigo but they had to break from tradition.
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

i read it the other way around, sorry about that.......

Its good stuff your up to. Interesting. I agree we need to give snakes options and just watch. We don't learn much when herpetoculture consists of snakes in rubber-maid boxes!

I suspect most of us have noticed the radical behavior changes when we bring long captive snakes out into the sun. Something is happening there, we just don't know what.

And how does it effect (especially big, active) snakes when they are cramped all there lives with limited movement and stimulation. Imagine how different the smells in the tropics are to the smells of a pine shaving filled cage.

I think too often the emphasis has been on controlling the environment rather than providing a diverse environment. And with all the emphasis on color morphs and breeding for profit, people don't want to take chances - rather just nail the most profitable practices.

joe