Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my colubrids get no heat in the Miami winter do the chondros brumate or do i need to heat them keep em awake!Chris

What part of florida are you in

np

From what I've read, the only reason to brumate is for breeding purposes, and in Greg's book he talks about cycling for breeding. He keeps the temps up to normal during the day and then allows them to cool at night. At first to the mid 70's and then after a week or so to about 68. But it sounds like he always brings the temps back up during the day. So, to answer your question, I guess it would be yes, you need to provide heat even if you're planning to breed. I'm sure some of the more expert people here will give you a perhaps better answer as I'm new to GTP's and am only going by what I've found thru my research before purchase.

np

Chris,

I think Megan did a fine job with the answer. You asked if they needed heat or not. Do you plan on breeding? If not, yes they need heat. Some adults can develope minor RI during breeding cycles from lower than normal temps. If you have no plans on breeding, keep them at 76-86 for night to day temps.

Brandon Osborne

i didnt want to sound obnoxious to Meg but she passed it on to the others and i wanted to subject that point so others would reply.
how are the winters in the Pacific Tropics?
i dont heat any cages, should i?
my Brazilians BRB winter fine into the 50s
btw my gtps are yearlings. Chris

50's??? if you put a chondro in the 50's its going to die...
the temp in the tropics is warm... you lower these snakes temp to breed, thats about as cold as they should be... as Brandon stated... some get minor RI's while breeding...

heating is a must... this is not the kind of snake you just wing it with... they need specific temps and humidity...

Shiloh

>>i didnt want to sound obnoxious to Meg but she passed it on to the others and i wanted to subject that point so others would reply.
>>how are the winters in the Pacific Tropics?
>>i dont heat any cages, should i?
>>my Brazilians BRB winter fine into the 50s
>>btw my gtps are yearlings. Chris

-----
Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

I personally would not take chondros into the 50's. During breeding trials, I drop temps to the mid to upper 60's and that's as low as I'll go. Even at these temps, slight RI can occur, but it is usually not an issue once temps are raised back up. Do a search on the weather of their native region and you can watch it every day. I've been doing this for a little over a year. There's also a link with current weather for Sarong at the bottom of Greg Maxwell's opening page on his website. If it were me, I would give them temps from 78-82 during the day, and 65-70 at night during the winter......but those are temps I use for breeding. Good luck.

Brandon Osborne

np

Hey Meg, excellent answer and it was nice of you to take the time to give solid information. Brandon, you never cease to amaze me with your patience and continuing support of new chondro owners, no matter how many times I know you hear the same questions.

Christopher, gtps are a not "rocket science" snakes but they do have a set of husbandry needs that are highly recommended for success with them. What kind of research did you do to prepare for your acquisition? Did you follow the suggestions you learned in that research? Apparantly not, you still got a glass enclosure not one experienced gtp keeper would recommend when plastic/acrylics are pretty obviously the better choice, ESPECIALLY for a first timeer. Heating with a bulb and no thermostat.... come on, are you reading anything anywhere? What advice are you really looking for? I strongly suggest going to a couple of the web sites that have extensive solid care sheets that will give you all you need to know.

www.finegtps.com www.allchondros.com www.signalherp.com

about yourself instead of criticism!
if must criticize try some more possitive its better for all.
where did glass enclosure come into the picture?
btw here are the little ones in their Juvi cages
and no power [Oh No You cant do that] Au Natural.
btw i was not planning the window sill as a winter home.Chris

the people in the chondro community have become friends because they help other when they have a question... Brandon is a perfect example... he has answered the same question tons of times, but he always answers in a polite manner...
lets try to keep this a polite room... no need for rude comments...

Shiloh

>>about yourself instead of criticism!
>>if must criticize try some more possitive its better for all.
>>where did glass enclosure come into the picture?
>>btw here are the little ones in their Juvi cages
>>and no power [Oh No You cant do that] Au Natural.
>>btw i was not planning the window sill as a winter home.Chris
>>

-----
Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

back track 1 post ,Shiloh im playing defence ......you know you should not take things out of contexted[spell]?? i share my ex. and absorb many good things. concider the winter NOW because i need a cage!!!!!!!!!! C

i understand that you were defending yourself chris... my post was not a message to you directly... i was just stating that this room is here so we can all learn... some people learn the easy way and some learn the hard way... bottom line is we are here to help people... rude comments like the one dirrected to you are not called for...
sorry for the misunderstanding...

Shiloh

>>back track 1 post ,Shiloh im playing defence ......you know you should not take things out of contexted[spell]?? i share my ex. and absorb many good things. concider the winter NOW because i need a cage!!!!!!!!!! C

-----
Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

I take it all in stride. I want to see people enjoy their chondros to the fullest.....whether it comes from me or someone else. To be honest, I don't know of anyone that posts on this forum with regularity that has purchased an animal from me. I know Chris from the kingsnake forum, so I know he has good intentions and wants to know the best method for keeping his chondro healthy. It's good that he's asking these questions rather than experimenting with the low winter temps and killing his snakes. I try to keep it simple and not let these things get to me. It's one reason I don't post much on the kingsnake forum anymore. Too many knitpickers. Enjoy life and chondros too.

Brandon Osborne

let all be friends,its easier!!!have a happy .Chris

I'm a tad confused due to your wording. If the Q is do you need to maintain temps during Florida Winter the answer is yes. With the Winters we've been having (Manatee County here...Tampa Bay area) it gets too cold for Chondros...period. The way our temps yoyo I'd think you'd be dealing with with an RI in short time.

If your Q is breeding related I'm sure one of our more experienced posters can help you out.

-----
1.0.0 BP
1.1.0 Chondro