Reptile & Amphibian Forums

just a quickie, and sorry to post to two boards, not sure which one gets more traffic..... roughly 1.5 yo male az mt kingsnake... seemed to go off feeding around 1 month ago...is it normal to cool a mt kingsnake? and for how long? i had a desert kingsnake i had to put in a closet last winter for 2 months and since then he eats like crazy...how long can i put a mt king away for without starving him? and what temps? its very very hard for me to find a dark cool place in my house. i have one closet that is dark, and gets high 50's-low 60's... only option i have.... should i wait another week and try another fuzzy first?

Some of my '08 pyros at the start of brumation this October. Also brumating the '09 pyros, and the '08 and 09 pituophis. I will warm them all back up this coming February. I have temperatures now ranging from 45 F to 55 F. If it gets too cold I pull back the insulating blankets to let the ambient air into the tubs. Last year I brumated my '09 bulls as the male stopped eating and began to lose too much weight. In the spring they had enthusiastic appetites. I am only brumating to prevent weight loss. If they stop eating after a month I figure they want to cool down. I have only two pituophis who still are eating, and a bunch of '10 pyro babies that are eating so those guys are still being kept warm.

Mountain kings are a montane species which means they are from high elevation mountains (stating the obvious! LOL!) so it is certainly normal for them to go off feed in the winter and brumate.

I was thinking today about species that seem to be hardwired to hibernate, or brumate, such as pyros and pituophis snakes, and other species such as western toads and fence lizards, which will forgo hibernation if they have warmth and light all winter. No matter what I do with my snakes in the way of light and warmth they insist on following the millions of years old tradition of the winter cool down. I guess I would call them obligate hibernators. My toads and lizards are not so inflexible; keep them warm and they eat all winter.
www.repvet.co.za/herp_photoperiod_hibernation_brumation.php
Concerning your range of temps in your closet, if you could get the temps down to 55 F by maybe putting a frozen gel pack in the tub and covering the whole thing with a big quilt, that might help. Where I live its the exact opposite; I have to watch it doesn't get too cold.
-----
Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

I especially like the one with the broken white bands which give it a bowtie or butterfly look.
-----
King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

>>I especially like the one with the broken white bands which give it a bowtie or butterfly look.

I think the term for that is "dog bones."
At least that is what I heard many moons ago......LOL
-----
John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

Thanks! That is probably Dotz:

She has an irregular pattern that I like for it's uniqueness.

My other trio at start of brumation. I miss them, and am anticipating putting them in their new big tanks that I traded mice with a friend for. I guess I can spend the boring brumation time creating interesting interiors for their new habitats.
-----
Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

Thanks! All my pyros have some little difference in their pattern, which makes them easy to tell apart.
-----
Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

I am seeming to be having some sort of trouble getting the right reply to the right person...sorry, guys. I had to shovel snow all day and am realty bushed...
-----
Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire