I've been trying to find info on Burmation. Do any of you have special things you do to burmate? do you Burmate for a full 3 or 4 months? or do you just do it for a few weeks? What temps do you burmate at? and what projects are you most excited for next season?
Reptile & Amphibian Forums
Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.
Burmation
cpramsey
Nov 11, 2012 10:06 PM
Replies (2)
pyromaniac
Nov 12, 2012 08:39 PM
www.repvet.co.za/herp_photoperiod_hibernation_brumation.php
I keep pyros, bull snakes and gopher snakes. The average temperature range for brumation is between 45F and 55F from November to March. During brumation they are kept in a quiet totally dark place in tubs with aspen bedding and a bowl of water which is kept fresh. Prior to brumation I don't feed them for at least three weeks, although generally they take care of this themselves by going off feed for the season anyway. It is extremely important their gut be empty so food cannot decay while they are in such low temperatures. They are still active in brumation, unlike true hibernation which is sort of like suspended animation. But their metabolisms are slowed way down by the cool temperatures so they can conserve body mass during what in the wild would be a long period of little prey available.
In the spring I give them a couple weeks to warm back up then commence feeding them, first small meals then as much as they want once they are well into spring. Since I cohabitate my breeders, they will generally start mating in the following weeks. During mating season the males sometimes go off feed; one track minds! LOL!
Where I live brumation is easy...
Others utilize wine cooler refrigerators and such, if they live in warmer winter regions.
-----
Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.
tspuckler
Nov 13, 2012 01:46 PM
Just as different people have different ways to keep and breed snakes, there's different brumation methods. I, along with many breeders I know, brumate from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day. It's pretty easy to remember that way.
Temperatures can vary. Most people I know use a basement or garage and those setups can provide fluctuations in temperature. These fluctuations are not harmful as long as they stay within a range. Generally anywhere from 45 to 65 degrees can be used for brumating colubrids.
Tim
Third Eye Herp
