Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can you let nighttime temps drop into the low 70's? I see alot of conflicting statements about temps. My dum definitely prefers the cool side of his cage.

my experience has been that as long as you provide a warm side - very many opinions as to what it should regulate at - i prefer 88-90 - - that the dum will be fine - i have found dums spending much time on the cool side as well - study their natural habitat - bill love travels there and you'll find that in the wild it is common for yhem to be xposed to low 70s at night even during the summer months - they will figure it out

88-90 degrees is fine for a basking spot, but I've found that 82-85 degrees is a better temperature for their hide. Much hotter than that, and Dumerils won't use their hide and stick to the cooler side of the cage. With under tank heating and a proportional thermostat, it's easy to keep the cage a temperature they like. Nighttime temps in the 70's are okay, but if it consistently isn't warm enough they can be hesitant to eat.

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Paul D

www.MoonlightBoas.com

I agree with Paul.
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Pat Higdon - Higdons Herps, Tuttle, Oklahoma USA
Oklahoma City Herpetological Society Member
4 dumerils boas, 1 bci boa, 3 burmese pythons, 1 albino tiger reticulated python, 2 ball pythons, 1 borneo python, 13 bearded dragons, 6 leopard geckos & 1 sulcata tortoise

thanks for you help - i'm learning - not that i'll be ready anytime soon, but i do want to attempt to breed dumeril's at some point - can either of you advise as to where one might find good info concerning the process, ie. from start to finish, how it might be similar or different to breeding info for b.c.c or b.c.i - i haven't foundany quality informationout there that goes beyond very simple basics anywhere - i did find one breeder selling some videos and i don't mind paying for someone's hard work, yet i love information - i'll take anything you would have time or care to offer or again, a weblink, book source or even advice as to where to find out anything - i am least 2 years from being ready but i want to learn - i have a great pair, a second male and trying to work a deal on a female this week which, of course would put me on 2.2 - i'm asmall fish in a big pond but i'm learning - any suggestions, appreciated??

after experimenting with my dums for several weeks i reached a point of keeping their hot spot at 90 24/7 and the coolest 1/3 of the cage at 78 during the day and 71-72 at night. I'm keeping 2 this way without any problems. they are eating machines, gaining weight, having a bm on a regular basis, and seem to be in perfect health.

of note* my female seems to spend 95% of her time burrowed or on a small branch on the cool side except for the day of and day after a meal. my male is the exact opposite and spends most of his time under his hide over the hot spot. the male is growing slightly faster, i assume due to improved digestion from being warm all the time.

you know - so many things i have learned just aren't hard fast necessities - some things of course are - i u research their native habitat much can be learned - i have my dumerils on big apple brand intellimat heat pads controlled by their bah 1000 t'stat with their stat set at 88 - the temp (actual) temp measured with a quality digital thermometer swings about 2 degrees - my room temps swing between 68 and 74 - i know most will say thats too cool for ambient but i am convinced that if you provide heat - they will use it properly - i find that , and it makes sense, when my dum is laying on the probe the temp reads higher - pretty simple - but signifigant to remember - my dum male spends much time on his pad with his head out of the hide - my feamle spends more time out of the hide/heat - my monster male heats up and then cruises the tub - their habits are so similar even predictable and yet very different - i truly believ that although the intentiona are honest that we - in general spend way too much time worrying about precise details concerning heat

That can be a problem when it comes time to breed..often males will stay glued to the heat source at the expense of courting/breeding. When you do plan to breed it might be a good idea to set the heat on a good 8 hrs. or so "off" cycle so he'll be prompted to cruise.

Bill

i'm at least a year from breeding maybe 2 - just trying to learn all i can ahead of time - i am keeping a computer file on all the information i'm receiving on forums and at same point will try to sort through all of it and develop a breeding plan based on consistencies among all the posters - thanks for your input