Too late to brumate?

[Blackavar15]

Hello!
I have been breeding a pair of T.s. similis, without brumation, for the last two years and I was wondering if it would be too late to start brumating them. I've read that brumation can help produce larger and healthier litters, is it true? If so I would like to start them this winter! My sister has an old mini-fridge and I think I can Jerry-rig it into a brumation chamber, since I don't have anywhere that gets cold enough around the house. What do you guys think?

BTW - wasn't sure if this fell under Husbandry or Breeding. I'm more interested in the breeding aspect, so I posted here.

[guidofatherof5]

No reason you can't brumate as long as all the preparations have been made.

[gregmonsta]

I started brumation at the weekend but there's no reason why you can't start later. There's no hard and fast rules as 'when' to do it as you have that power in the captive environment, but it is a recommended step in the breeding cycle. I tend to brumate for about 2-2.5 months. Some people go longer and others go shorter. For my southern species I will only go to 1.5months. Also at a higher temp. As you are planning to brumate T.similis, I would keep it short and I also would not go below 10C to avoid neurological issues. Winter temps in their range can still be 20C+ during the day and I image their 'rest' period is more likely to coincide with extreme weather or a possible aestivation in peak summer.
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[BLUESIRTALIS]

you can brumate similis in a dark cool closet or basement for about 1.5 months! Just make sure you let them go off feed for a few weeks before you brumate them!

[Blackavar15]

Thanks everyone! Once winter sets in I think my basement will get cold enough to make my snakes drowsy. It's still in the 50's here so it's not quite there yet indoors.

[Didymus20X6]

My wild-caught Easterns seem to like to brumate for about four months or more. Little Dude usually quits eating around October, and doesn't start back eating until March. And I don't even keep the enclosure that cool when she quits eating; I think she just follows a pattern she learned in the wild.

[Blackavar15]

I do notice that my male tends to feed less often during the winter months, but my female wouldn't go off feed unless you glued her mouth shut, hahaha!

[ConcinusMan]

Just for any newbies reading, I don't actually recommend gluing your snake's mouth shut. Just wanted to be clear about that. Usually we just feed them lol