Kerby,
That may "work" as most breeders with large collections use heated rooms. But working and surviving is not the best we as breeders can do...
Now herpers in warm climates like in AZ or FLorida where the room temps are already 85F due to the warm temps outside. It would be overkill to use heat tape in such cases. I beleive in your case that is the situation. And that does not allow you the choice to offer your collection optimal conditions. You probably will never get the opportunity to try unless you move or cool your snakeroom with air conditioning and since that cost money and raises your bills. I can understand why you don't. It is just not feesable or necessary for what your circumsnates are. besies, it still works and the snakes still eat, diegest and beed.
But not all of us live in warm geographical locations as you do.
Optimal for the snakes is what we are talking about. Snakes do two things. They search for the perfect temp and perfect humidty. They constantly move and change.That is what they desire and they seek. In the wild and in captivity when placed into a rubber box.
As with my snakeroom and my snakes.. They eat, then sit on the hot side (95F) then they move over to the cool side when they are done digesting. Somtimes they sit all the way on the other end where it is the hottest. Sometimes they are halfway and then all the way to the cool side.
During winter my snakeroom gets down to the low 50's. They sit on the cold sie and when I feed them they move over to the hot side. Yes!, they eat when they are that cold. Now without choices and you do a forced cooling, they would never eat when they are that cold.
The snakes know what temps suits "THEIR" needs to either conserve calories or digest food. Guessing and either changing the temps is never optimal as we just can't read their instincts and physical biological needs from minute to minute.
Also, in my collection, they brumate themselves! I feed throughout the whole winter and they cool themselves and heat themseleves. The females produce follicles and the males sperm. So they know what they are doing!
This is what they do in nature. However, forcing them to live in an inbetween temps is not optimal for the snakes. Giving choices is always better for them.
I am sure my snakes could breed and survive in a set 82F-85F. As i have in the past. But since then the snakes are more robust and proof is i get 3 clucthes per year form 2 year olds and up. One year old snakes i get 2 clutches. I get this quite consistently.
Controlling what we think the snakes should have takes out any choices for the snakes as they know best what temps they want and need.
All in all it is pretty simple for anyone to accomplish this. Just buy a heat strip or heat pad. Use a heat pad or heat strip or other device wheich gives choices and range of temperatures. That is not so hard and is not rocket science.
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1) Do you beleive what you observe or observe what you beleive?
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