I've seen more and more posts recently about snakes that have been eating well going off their feed and others that are normally active staying in their hides.
Most people think of snakes wanting to brumate (some wrongly call this hibernation) as being a result in dropping temperatures. They therefore tend to believe that so long as nothing has changed int heir tank set-ups in relation to temps, that they shouldn't have any differences in the routines of the animals. However, there is another factor to snakes realizing what time of year it is, and that is the photoperiod to which they are exposed.
As the days grow shorter, the corns have something in thier little brains that tells them that autumn is approaching. It makes sense that they would have such a back-up means of determining the season, since we have all seen those "Indian Summers" last WAAAYYY into fall sometimes. If the corns merely relied on temps, they would too often be caught unawares for the coming winter weather and perish.
So, just because your corn is slowing down a bit, or has determined not to eat as well for you the last few weeks, don't freak out. It may just be trying to brumate, because it realizes that the days are growing shorter.
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Darin Chappell
Hillbilly Herps
PO Box 254
Rogersville, MO 65742
