Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've heard of people warming other colubrids year round and successfully breeding them. But with bulls, it seems like everyone cools them but some say it's probably not necessary. If it's not necessary, I'd like to keep my bulls warm and growing over the winter.

The opinions of experienced breeders would be super appreciated.

Thanks!
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Grace and Mercy I Need

I used to fully brumate my bulls but found that by simply just leaving them in their cages over winter had the same effect. They basically remain in their hides, go off feed for the most part & are rarely seen. About mid march, usually during a warm spell, I'll start to feed light meals & they'll take over from there mating about a month later. Much easier on the keeper & the kept......

I brumate my adult bulls by putting them in big tubs on my bedroom floor and covering those with quilts. This protects them from temperature spikes in the cabin in the winter when I build the fire in the woodstove. I aim for between 45 F to 55 F for most of the winter months.

Some of this year's crop of 8 babies:

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Bob
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire
Keeping cats allows man to cohabitate with tigers. Keeping reptiles allows man to cohabitate with dinosaurs.

Dan, where does the temp generally stay in your snake room during the winter?
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Grace and Mercy I Need

House temps are usually in the high 60's. photoperiod also plays a role as they are in a room w/ a lot of windows. They know winter is coming. They have been off feed for over a month now but occasionally drink water.

I heat mine until they hit 2 yrs old through the winter. My adult snakes I just left alone. They went off feed by themselves, and when spring came, I had three good clutches of eggs. My house stays in the 60's for the most part, sometimes warmer, sometimes colder. I figure they are native to Texas, so whatever weather and temps is thrown our way is the same thing they would be getting outside. Worked for me.

Thank you everybody for your advice! Sounds like brumation is a good idea (and probably cheaper when they go off feed for a few months).
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Grace and Mercy I Need