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Zula, my tiniest Chiri pyro, with a full belly of two live pinks from yesterday's meal. I tried one last time with the other seven pyro babies but they are down for the winter and showed no interest in feeding. The last time any of them ate was 16 days ago. Zula on the other hand eats every five to six days every time. I don't think she is my tiniest pyro anymore...will weigh her before next feeding. She is the only one who still has her heater on, since she needs it for digestion.

Does anybody else have an individual of a montane species that will eat all winter? Zula might just be an all winter feeder.

A side note: my big Pacific gopher still eats, but only a few pinks at a meal. So her heater is still on, too. This does save a lot in electricity! Being off the grid and having to produce my own power, this is most appreciated.
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

>>Does anybody else have an individual of a montane species that will eat all winter? Zula might just be an all winter feeder.

I consider many snakes Montane.....Mexicana (Greeri, Thayeri & Mex Mex), Alterna and Ruthveni included with Pyromelana & Zonata.....
These are the ones I have here that will eat all winter long:
3.1 2010 Pyromelana
1.1 2009 Knoblochi
1.2 2010 Multifasciata
1.0 2010 Agalma
0.1 2009 Agalma
0.1 2008 Ruthveni
1.1 2009 Ruthveni
1.2 2009 Thayeri
0.1 2010 Thayeri
1.1 2009 Greeri
2.2 2010 Alterna
1.1 2009 Alterna
1.0 2010 Mex Mex
3.5 2009 Mex Mex

This is the second winter for the 2009s and the third for the 2008......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

Do you think your snakes might be behaving differently due to being at a sea level and warmer location in Corpus Christi than mine at 3200 ft elevation Sierra Nevada foothills?
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

Pyromaniac, my pyros are doing OK and have not shut down here in Baton Rouge, LA. A bit sporadic as usually, but nothing major. I would suspect yours are picking up on the natural cues in your area to shut down much more than John's in Texas. Differences in daylight hours, temp drops, etc. are much more in tune with their natural clocks where you are than in Texas IMO. I notice my non-brumating ratsnake species from ranges nearer to me being more sporadic now than my pyros. Maybe being closer to their native ranges are messing with them moreso than the pyros from a more northwesterly range??

Differences in daylight hours, temp drops, etc. are much more in tune with their natural clocks where you are than in Texas IMO.
I just remembered Zula and her siblings Zeke and Zena are from Troy Hibbitts in Texas! I got them on November 18, and they all ate the next day. But since then only Zula, the tiniest of the three, has been a regular eater. Right after they arrived we got a major winter storm with 2 feet of snow. Zula must for sure be a Texas girl! LOL! She is not going to let a little weather slow her down!
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

>>Do you think your snakes might be behaving differently due to being at a sea level and warmer location in Corpus Christi than mine at 3200 ft elevation Sierra Nevada foothills?

YES!
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

That makes sense. I also would behave differently at a lower and warmer elevation. I would like to see how I would behave on the Kona coast right about now.
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

Zula's cool. It will be nice if she keeps you occupied over the winter. Sounds like you're wanting to think sunny thoughts.

--Dennis

Thanks, Denbar! Thats an awesome photo!

What my yard looked like over the Thanksgiving holiday. No wonder my snakes want to just sleep for the winter!

Today I did another feeding of the seven that didn't eat the other day, and Bitzi, another small one from a local foothills breeder, ate. So back on with the heaters and just keep offering the pinks; somebody always seems to want to eat. Sporadic is better than not at all.
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

Zappa and Zena just ate, so now only four to go. I guess since the weather has warmed back up, or time has passed, or the planets are now in a new alignment...who knows, I am just glad they are eating! LOL! I've got the last four on a pet heating pad with a towel over it to stay warm overnight while they are in their feeding jars. Keeping these little critters sure makes one question one's assumptions!
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

>>Zappa and Zena just ate, so now only four to go. I guess since the weather has warmed back up, or time has passed, or the planets are now in a new alignment...who knows, I am just glad they are eating! LOL! I've got the last four on a pet heating pad with a towel over it to stay warm overnight while they are in their feeding jars. Keeping these little critters sure makes one question one's assumptions!

There is a meteor shower on the 13th and a FULL lunar eclipse on the 20th......Could be something that's doing it......LOL
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

I checked on the others during the night and was happy to find that Yazmin had eaten, so down to three still in the feeding jars. Maybe I will chart their astrological signs in the future; "you are a Leo and will eat like a pig during the Holidays! LOL!"
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

Zeke ate last night and I put Corazon and Blaze back in their cages as they just did not seem interested. So the trio from Texas (sea level) and the trio from Placerville Sierra Foothills (3000 feet) all ate, but the pair from Manteca (sea level) did not.

So there goes my theory of eating according to where they were born. These little devils are messing with me! LOL!
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

Bob, the Knoblochi (Carnage or Rorshach, name undecided lol) I posted a couple weeks ago is down with the count for the Winter. My favorite and I wasn't nearly done playing with him....bummer!

Tony
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You can never have only one snake!

I feel your pain! I have two big tanks standing empty, awaiting the spring awakening of my pyro trios. Every time I walk by those beautiful empty tanks I get tempted to put the snakes in them now, but I know I must wait until the proper time next spring. Time flies at my age, so this little wait does seem to stretch time out a bit.
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire