Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am contemplating using a fridge to brumate a few snakes this fall. Anyone here use one for this purpose? I'm wondering how large must the enclosure be for the animal that is brumated? Since they don't move around much during the cool down I would like to use the appropriate size without using more space than necessary so to have room for all in the fridge. Looking for advice and comments. Thanks.

I have heard that refrigerators kill snakes. I know someone who used to use one for his lizards without a problem, but I have had people tell me that snakes brumated this way rarely make it.
-----
Chris Harrison

Last year I cooled down my whole building which also houses some tortoises that need heat resulting in a respiratory infection in one of the tortoises. I want to avoid that this year. It was always difficult keeping the tortoises warm enough and the snakes cool enough. I am in Louisiana and it can get quite cool here in the winter. I'm looking for ways to accomplish brumation without endangering any of my animals. I wonder about just setting up shelves under my patio without heat and going that route. Maybe with deep aspen substrate where they could bury themselves for insulation in the really cold stuff? And they could be covered with insulated blankets for dipping temps. I'm looking for suggestions and more discussion here. Thanks.

What do you use now? I was told to use a fridge, but I havent brumated my animals yet. They said to turn it to about 55 degrees, which should work right?

I think the reason some people find their snakes dead is because they fail to replicate the conditions of the deep rock cavities where snakes spend their winter months.

Your fridge will keep your milk from turning into yogurt, but it has to blast the contents with bone-dry and very chilly air to accomplish this. Leave a naked slice of bread in there for a day or so and you'll see what I mean.

However, these are merely obstacles. Luckily I don't have to worry about this, but a person could easily work out how to provide fresh air while simultaneously keeping the himidity up and shielding the snakes from gusts of frigid air.

I will tell you my sad story. I had a pair of juvie amelanistic Emory's rat snakes that went off feed in the early autumn. It was still hotter than blazes here and I didn't want them to lose weight. They were not great feeders to begin with and kind of skinny. I put them in the fridge and checked on them from time to time. I also put some water in there for them to drink. They died. I think they were too cold to move to get at the water. If you made sure they were hydrated, they will probably do okay, considering that temps often go below freezing in a lot of snake habitat across the country. If you could get a separate fridge and dial it up to 55F, I don't think it would be much of a problem as long as you aired them out every couple of days and made sure they accessed water. The problem with this scenario is that after a while, you might stop checking on them. Regrigerators are made to be air-tight. I remember stories of kids suffocating in old fridges left out in the backyard. Problems, problems.

My intention was to purchase a used fridge and set it to 55deg and open the door every day or so for air exchange. But I also wanted to discuss just leaving them in deep aspen in blanket boxes stacked on shelves under my patio cover for the winter months. If the temps got too cold I would cover the entire stacks with insulation blankets or maybe just do that anyway. Here in Louisiana we don't see much freezing weather but we do see lots of nights that go into the 30's-40's. Days will warm up to maybe 50-60's. I would still make sure that they had access to water. Has anyone done this with success?

First of all, consider yourself lucky to be living in Louisiana for several reasons. I say that because I live in California. When I brumate my snakes, I just leave them in their enclosures in the snake room (read: master bedroom) and open the window. It'll get down to the thirties and forties at night and up into the sixties to seventies in the day. I cover them with towels or what not to keep them dark and try to simulate a hibernaculum. Your idea sounds good to me. I've also kept snakes in the garage during the winter in Vision enclosures with blankets over them to keep the light out. It sounds like we're talking the same temps basically, although it's doubtless a lot drier here in the land of weenies and lawyers. I change their water once a week and they've never gone south on me. I use the bathroom off the master bedroom, then, for a couple of Nicaraguan boas that don't tolerate the cold temps. I just put an oil type heater in there and hook it up to a thermostat and they're good to go through the winter. Your under-the-porch scenario sounds safer and more cost-effective than the fridge.

I have also heard bad things about using a refridgerator for brumation. Especially if your using an older version. It might not keep temps. consistent. I live in Colorado and this year I am going to try my storage unit out in my garage. Any ideas about doing that method?