Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I have 9 Hondurans in brumation, I documented their weight before I started in Nov o4. Today I was doing my normal weekly check and decided to document their weights. Well 3 lost some not alot still over 400 grams. But here is my question the other 6 seemed to gain weight according to the scale, is this possible? I made sure the scale had a new battery and calibrated it before using. I never checked the weights of my snakes before, this is my first time doing it. I have breed snakes before without any problems. I used to live in Puerto Rico and now I am in Denver. So I just want to make sure I do things right. This is why I am following the guidelines I read in several milksnake books and talking to several good friend that have been doing it alot longer than me.

Thanks for reading.

Tom

Hi Tom,

I've noticed for many years that some of my snakes appear to gain weight during brumation. Perhaps they hadn't drunk recently when they were weighed at the onset of brumation, and had just gulped a bunch of water prior to the later weigh-in. That's the only logical explanation i can think of, that and the possibility of scale malfunction or variance. My scales read accurately generally--weigh a snake at 487 grams, say, and take it out of the weigh-basked, turn the scale off and on, and weigh it again, and it'll weigh at 487. Maybe over a 3 mo period the accuracy varies, but it has SEEMED to me, at least, to be a genuine phenomenon. It's usually a very modest gain, and others lose a little weight during brumation--usually also a very modest amount, virtually negligible. Every once in a while an animal loses a lot--perhaps due to defecating a couple times during brumation. Though i always fast them at warm temps for at least a couple weeks before lowering temps, i'm always surprised to see fecals showing up even months into brumation.

peace
terry

I tend to agree with rtdunham. Water weight. I have seen the same thing with hibernating Corns over the past 3 years. I check weight 2-3 times during hibernation and can see once or twice the weight goes up a little. No food, nice cool temps.. what else could it be??

So what you saw was not out of the relm of possibilities. Has to be water......

Good luck..
-----
2.3 Albino Nelsoni Milksnakes
0.1 Snow Corn
0.2 Sunglow Corns
1.1 Albino Motley Corns
0.0.11 '04 albino Corn hatchlings
0.0.5 '04 Candycane Corn hatchlings
0.0.7 '04 Snow Corn hatchlings
1.0 '02 Albino Stripe Corn
bunch.bunch Bearded Dragons
2.4 Crested Geckos
1.0 Pictus Geckos
1 great wife
2 great boys
0.2 dogs (they're great too!!)
and Corey's Yellow Knee Tarantula "Fang"

I myself never have removed a snake from its cage during brumation for any reason other than the occasional spilled water that needs cleaning. Has anyone ever been led to believe that messing with a brumating snake in any way causes stress that may affect a snake for its upcoming breeding season? Tom Stevens

Every year I photograph a select number of snakes (garters) that are brumating. I have not seen any ill effects from this as all of the snakes I have photographed have produced viable offspring. When they are brumating, they make for easier photo subjects as they are quite lethargic.

Scott
Scott Felzer's Garter Snakes

>>Every year I photograph a select number of snakes (garters) that are brumating. I have not seen any ill effects from this as all of the snakes I have photographed have produced viable offspring. When they are brumating, they make for easier photo subjects as they are quite lethargic.
>>
>>Scott
>>Scott Felzer's Garter Snakes

I photograph some, weigh others, and they all generally breed so there's considerable data from my group, at least, that it hasn't adversely affected them. I won't extrapolate further. And Scott's right about how much easier they are to photo when they're cool.
terry