Reptile & Amphibian Forums

activity is down, season is ending. This little female was discover at 6:45am with air temps of 46F. A new low for me.

I came back later and she went into the water, but I did not see her chase or consume anything, and there were tadpoles by the millions.

This male was not as lucky,

Found this king, in shed. "A Caldida"

Its almost time to stay home and work on cages.

As always, great information from the field. Nice to see animals that have never been inside a deli cup.

Its amazing to me they can start out with air temps that low. Surface temps are very close to that. In captivity, they would not be able to move. This is a very good question. Which I have no answer for.
So my low temps have been, 54F and 58F, crossing the road, 56F last week out chasing toads and this week, 47F. I assume waiting to warm up enough to do its daily business.
Last week I posted a pic of a patchnose exiting a hole early AM, also at 56F and went it saw me, was way too cold to crawl normally, so it flopped its way into a bush. I stayed back. If I did not post that here, I could. Thanks

Please post that set of pictures FR. I am amazed that they can move in those temps. I know it gets cold there but I always hear respiratory infections occur with dirty bowls and temps to low. With all snakes even garters.

What you say is true, but its not the temps or the dirty water bowls. In most cases, average temps, that is temps held below their full range, compromises their immune system and they cannot fight off mild common pathogens. Which is one huge problem with rack type cages. They are very hard to maintain with a good range of temps. With hognose, its a bit varanid like, its hard to support usable temps. That is, a temp range they understand how to use. Kings, ratsnakes and crots are so easy behaviorally its ridiculous, hogs a bit more complicated. To me this is the fun stuff. To figure out what they want. What nasty gets confused by is, who wants what. What the keeper wants, compared to what the animal wants.
Fossorial snakes like balls and hogs do well in small dark boxes, because its a duplication of an underground burrow. In which they spend most of their lives. Only their burrows are located to take advantage of different temps. our burrows, the boxes, are not. Again, fun stuff.