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Dear all:

I am not a corn person. I am a ball python and copperhead and Pigmy Rattle snake person. However, my neighbors are corn people.

I now have three colubrids in my fridge. Two corns (one normal female; on snow corn male and one colubrid that is a hognose). They are my neighbors's snkes.

I know nothing of hibernating snakes. The neighbor cooled them down in a air conditioned room for two weeks and then moved them over to my fridge because I have room and a great wife who will allow just about anything to be done in the house.

My questions are: is my fridge too cold for hibernating snakes? temp is about 46-49.9 F. Also, how long do you think they need to be in hibernation? My neighbor says just two weeks will be fine (quote "they don't know how long its been, so two weeks is just as fine as longer".

Do you guys think that two weeks is enough for hibernation with intent to breed? I only ask because I am curious. I don't really care if they breed or not, but as long as I am involved (or at least my fridge), I may as well ask and make sure that the time spent is worthwhile enough for a good breeding season.

Also, when they are in the fridge, can you disturb them? Right now the neighbor is waking the sanke up every 3 or 4 days for checking on them and trying to give htem water. i seem to think that this is excessively stressful for no good reason.

By the way, the neighbor is only 13 years old. He may or may not know exactly what he is doing. Hence, I ask for help here to make sure I can help him do things right.

cheers. thx in advance.

>> I now have three colubrids in my fridge. ... They are my neighbors's snkes.
>> I know nothing of hibernating snakes. The neighbor cooled them down in a air conditioned room for two weeks and then moved them over to my fridge ...

Cooling them in stages is the correct way to do it.

>> My questions are: is my fridge too cold for hibernating snakes? temp is about 46-49.9 F.

That isn't too cold. I've brumated colubrids to temps as low as 40 deg.F, and have heard of them being cooled as low as 33 deg.F

Some people claim that taking them down so cool is harder on them, but the fact is they do better at cooler temps than at warmer temps. If the temp isn't low enough, the animals will remain somewhat active, and will be drawing on body fat for energy. At lower temps, they become almost totally inactive, and use almost none of their reserves.

>> Also, how long do you think they need to be in hibernation? My neighbor says just two weeks will be fine (quote "they don't know how long its been, so two weeks is just as fine as longer".

For babies, I only put them in for up to five weeks, and I only use it as a tactic with non-feeders, to stimulate a feeding response when they emerge in the "Spring". For yearlings and two-yr-olds, I put them in for seven to nine weeks. For young breeders, at least nine or ten weeks, and for my old breeders, up to 14 weeks.

>> Do you guys think that two weeks is enough for hibernation with intent to breed? I only ask because I am curious. ...

I don't. I consider six weeks to be a minimum. There are other breeders that will tell you they've bred theirs without any brumation at all, so my opinion isn't the last word on this by any means. I'd say, if he's going the route of brumating them, then he should do it right, and that he should leave them for at least six weeks.

>> Also, when they are in the fridge, can you disturb them? Right now the neighbor is waking the sanke up every 3 or 4 days for checking on them and trying to give htem water. i seem to think that this is excessively stressful for no good reason.

Your instincts on this score are absolutely correct. Disturbing them certainly is stressful and unnecessary. Their water should be changed every ten-to-14 days, at most weekly. In changing their water, every effort should be made to disturb them as little as possible. They can actually be brumated for several weeks without water, if you are in a humid climate, but I don't recommend it.
>>
>> By the way, the neighbor is only 13 years old. He may or may not know exactly what he is doing. Hence, I ask for help here to make sure I can help him do things right.
>>
>>cheers. thx in advance.

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tricia

Well, I don't know if brumating them in the middle of summer for 2 weeks will be enough to change their internal clock 6 months forward?? I think it's a combination of light cycles and temperatures that signal winter to snakes...(though, if you're in the southern hemisphere it's winter, so that may not be a concern)
But from my experience, and what I've heard, corns can breed fine without being cooled down - but that applies to breeding them during their normal season. I don't know what exactly you would need to do if you want to breed them out of season.
The temps sound on the low side from what I've read, but some people have done it fine at those temps...
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-audri
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