I have been considering getting a pair of mandarins or coxi. My snake room is usually about 74 ambient temp. Maybe 72 if I kept them near the floor. From what I have been reading those temps should be OK. The only problem is that occasionally during the summer the temps rise to closer to 79-82. Only during hot spells and never for more then a few days at a time. Do you guys think that brief exposure to higher temps would have any serious adverse effects?
Also, I had asked robyn at pro exotics about the breeding setups he uses for his coxi and mandarins. For those of you who haven't seen the website, he uses really deep tubs with a 12 inch soil layer. He responded with this. thought you might like to see.
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i haven't really put info at the site, i just haven't had the time to do a complete explanation.
but it IS related to monitors. basically, we have taken monitor theory and applied it to the snakes, Coxi and Mandarins specifically.
the deep snake tubs allow us to use about a foot and a half of soil (we use the DG for those setups). for the snakes, i bury a clay hidespot at the bottom of the soil, and then dig it back out and give them access. there are also hides up top, as well as a version of the wood stacks.
the idea was to give the animals temperature choices and a wide temp gradient. there is a basking light up top, and it is coolest in the low hide spot.
one of the problems we were having was the Coxi females kept cycling and laying eggs in the cooling period. but those eggs would be no good because temps were already 55F across the board. i wanted a wider temp range, with a usable basking spot, so that the females could cool at 55F if they needed, or bask in the 80s if they needed.
it has worked very well, and we get eggs at many different times of the year. good eggs.
with the Mandarins, we see lots of tunneling and "burrowing" and they have even made their own burrows, laid eggs, backfilled them, and had the eggs hatch right there in the cage, as opposed to the egg laying box that we usually see eggs in.
temp choices, wide temp gradient, soil, stacks, basking spots, much of the husbandry derives from our monitor experience. i am sure there are tons of folks here on the monitor forum that also keep snakes, but i don't think many have thought of applying these strategies to their snake husbandry : )
it has been a very enlightening experience!
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robyn@proexotics.com
