Reptile & Amphibian Forums

(About hibernating grey ratsnake)

Can I expect her to shed during brumation?

Will it matter if she is underneath her water bowl when I come to change it every week(during brumation-in the dark)?

Thanx in advance.

Kat.

Hi
I am not Paul but maybe I can answer You. Hibernation is not nessescary to breed this species, but recommended. I hibernate them at 10-15*C dry with a large water bowl, and a dry and a wet hiding place (they prefer the dry one) as all my ratsnakes. 2-3 months are sufficient, and if they decide to shed during that period of time, I haven`t had any problems so far. There is one important issue though. Wake the females some time before the males (AND FEED THEM WELL)and introduce them to another when the female has shed for the first time. That is how I breed most ratsnakes. If they dont copulate, seperate them and clean the terrarium totally (walls sides top branches everything) and try again.
That should be sufficient for 95% of all ratsnakes.
Best wishes
Søe
Retilia-Denmark

Hi Søe

I don't intend to breed from her, hibernating her was recommended to me because she hasn't fed for three weeks, but thank you very much for replying.
Will it matter if she is under her water bowl when I come to change it every week?

Thanx in advance.

Kat.

Hi
What is natural and what is the best????? I recommend to keep the obsoleta subspcies cooler in about 3 months. 15-18*C is sufficient but they stand even colder. The main purpose (my opinion) is to get a successful breeding. Looking at these small worms emerging to the world can make anyone stunned. If you only want to keep one animal and don`t want to breed it, I still recommend a cooling period to enlarge the lifespand of your animal, and it is natural too
Best wishes
Søe

>About hibernating grey ratsnake)

>Can I expect her to shed during brumation?

She may or may not shed. Some snakes do, and others do not shed. None of the snakes I've hibernated have had a problem getting the old skin off, if they do shed.

>Will it matter if she is underneath her water bowl when I come to change it every week(during brumation-in the dark)?

It will not matter. Just gently push her out of the way. You will have to have some light to see what you are doing when changing the water. Use a reasonable light intensity and time. I'd say a 60 watt incandescent bulb or less for 15 minutes or less is reasonable.

Sorry to be so tardy in responding. I haven't been on this forum for several days.

I can tell from Soe?'s (sorry about the spelling) responses that he's had experience brumating snakes.

Paul Hollander