Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was reading one of the care sheet on kingsnake, and it said Uro must be cooled down during winter or otherwise the thyroid gland can become swollen and eventually the animal will die from it. Does anyone cool their Uros down during winter. I'm cooling mine right now, but still keep a little basking spot for him incase he gets a little chilly.

I don't think its so much dropping of temps dramatically, its more of decreasing the time your lights are on. I am going through my first winter with Uro's as well, and it was recommended to me to decrease the light period, but still allow a normal range basking temp. Of course, with the lower temps outside, my temps have dropped slightly, but still within good range. Basking is still 120-122 (usually 125-128F) and ambient temps are only down approx 2-3 degrees overall as well. You will see a reduction in activity as well as eating habits. Just be sure to keep an eye on defecations, be sure they are not runny and keep track of weight with an accurate scale. So far weight has held steady for my male, female has actually gained a few grams as she appears to be storing more then the male has. Hope that helps.

Background info...I have kept uros for over 10 years.

I have brumated my mali uros for years. The temperatures in the cages naturally are cooler in the winter since I live in Canada. The food is slowly decreased to allow the stomach to empty before they go into brumation. I leave the basking light on for a few hours each day in case they want to warm up. I leave a dish of dried lentils in the cage in case they need to eat but they never touch it. I also leave a dish of water (changed often) there in case they need some. (I don't have water in the cage the rest of the year.)

Doing this, they have always survived the winter but they do not produce fertile eggs.

I think with malis its necessary to hibernate them (cooler temperatures than what brumation calls for). The only problem with this is that if its not done properly you might lose your uro.

I don't brumate my Egyptians. I'm currently incubating a clutch of fertile eggs. I really don't think it's neccessary. In the wild they brumate in order to survive when the climate is unfavorable. In captivity, if temps are kept warm and food is plentiful, there is no need to brumate. This is just my opinion.