Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently got a pair of Russian sand boas from Bruce Miller and he told us that it's a good idea to cool babies for 6-8 weeks- he says they're a lot like grey-banded kingsnakes.
At any rate, I've never brumated anything before but it's a good time for me to learn. He told us what temps to use, but I'm still pretty nervous. We're cooling them down slowly. I understand from what I've heard about colubrids that brumating animals should be offered water periodically? And any helpful tips or reassurances should be great.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

Just make sure that the gut is empty before you cool them. A fast of at least 3 weeks is usually sufficient. I keep water in the cage for them while they brumate, other people offer water once a week or so. Either way is fine. Try to keep them dark, keep the temp as constant as possible and don't disturb them any more than you have to.

As far as the cooling down process, I usually just lower the temps a couple of degrees a day until I get to my desired temp. That usually takes 2 weeks or so. What I do is just put them in my garage in a corner that stays at a pretty constant 60 degrees all winter. When I first put them out there, I have human heating pads under the cages. I just turn the heat down a little every day until I can turn it off completely. Then I just throw some blankets over the cages and check the once every couple of weeks to make sure they still have water and everyone is OK.

Ok, sounds good! I'll let you know when they wake up.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?