Winter/Brumation Preparations

[guidofatherof5]

The temps have turned cool during the day and cold at night. I've noticed many of my snakes have become more intense when eating.
They seem to be in a hurry to put on some weight.
Also my snakes that usually go off food at this time of the year have done so.
Has anyone else noticed this in there snakes?

[snakehill]

My WC eastern is not eating as much as she was!

[Kantar]

it is getting really cold outside and the heat hasn't been turned on yet. I noticed that in all of my snakes, serpent is not eating and still looks skinny. My 3 earling clowns are still eating like pigs and are fat. Only 1 of my het checkereds is eating well. Usually I only have 1 that doesn't want to eat but I had 5 that didn't want to eat

[RedSidedSPR]

I'm sure my adult will stop eating again and require a short brumation, but nothing so far.

[Mommy2many]

Mine are eating very well at the moment, though they do loike to alternate the food choice. Some days it's worms, some days it's pinkies. That's OK, cause right now I can hunt for worms in the yard and I have plenty of pinkies from my order last spring.

[d_virginiana]

Mine are both still eating well, but there's a definite difference in their behavior. The baby is getting pretty picky about what she eats. It's hard to really tell since I'm not able to be around them very much right now because of college..

[katach]

Ours are all eating like pigs still, but we keep the temps steady. We aren't brumating.

[kibakiba]

You might have to cool Blade down a little to get her to ovulate, Mama needed that to become gravid last time. She might also need it if she isn't in the mood for Snakey ;)

[sirtalis01]

Mines are eating like pigs also like they know whats coming lol.....

[katach]

You might have to cool Blade down a little to get her to ovulate, Mama needed that to become gravid last time. She might also need it if she isn't in the mood for Snakey ;)

Thanks! I'll keep her a little cooler.

[RedSidedSPR]

True brumating scares me. Last year I just turned off his heat and threw a blanket over him... That worked. Obvious didnt work like a true brumation, but it got him through his need to brumate.

[PINJOHN]

just thought i'd give a brumation report from this side of the pond, so far no sign of any slowdown in eating habits, we are having a bit of a heatwave at the moment so i don't know how much that is affecting things, the one exception i have is the albino checkered who gave me a dozen babies about a month ago, she is not eating at leased while i'm around and if she is eating while i'm not around, then it's not very much,
i picked up three new viv's at the last show and it is my intention to give her her own viv [she's in with Kenzo and a large checkered female] i shall cover three of the glass sides so as to reduce the light levels, i'm hoping that solitary and reduced light will do the trick.
she came from a pet shop where she was kept in a small container, but i do not want to return her to that method of keeping, if it turns out that she prefers the pet shop method then i will sell her or give her away as i get no satisfaction having snakes kept in that method.
eta
ery

[PINJOHN]

ADDENDUM TO ABOVE the albino is busy right now making a liar of me, she is chomping away on salmon fillets, she can see the computer screen from her viv, perhaps she saw my threat to sell her on :D

[johnnic]

Adults especially the Eastern garters have slacked off in feeding except for the Texas Eastern Black Necks. The babies are still feeding very well. Don't know how some of these really small Easterns get through 4-5 months of winter their first year.

[Kantar]

Does anyone brumate/hibernate newborns? I usually kept my newborns awake over the first winter

newborns - 2 unnamed <--- active during winter
yearlings - sunny, pepper, blizzard <--- active during winter
2 years old - frosty, serpent, slider, spot <--- wanting to brumate

Last year when my 2 year olds were yearlings I also kept them awake since they fed and done so well over the winter. But this year they slowed down on food so I'm wanting to brumate or something to keep them healthy, they need a long nap. Anyone know a good easy way to do a brumation? temperatures? (I read differently everywhere else) Around here our winters get to -40C and worse so the wild snakes here go down deep into the ground to stay warm and remain there for more than a half year. Anything else I would need to know? Keeping the temperatures lower is going to be hard since I live on a top floor and gets brutally hot sometimes even though I block my vents.

[guidofatherof5]

Never have. I've only brumated adults.

[Kantar]

what are some good temperatures to aim for?

[guidofatherof5]

I try to keep mine at 45° to 50°

[Kantar]

damn! that is going to be hard to achieve

[RedSidedSPR]

Yes. Are you breeding?

[Kantar]

yeah, I want to try to breed serpent. She just turned 2 years old on Sept. 19. I'd like to rest her from december to feburary or march

[RedSidedSPR]

Ok cool. I was gonna say, Im not breeding so all I do is throw a towel over the cage for a month after 2 weeks of no food or heat. Worked great.

[GarField000]

The Eastern RedNeck is waiting for the brumation. Not eating anymore and looking for the cold spots in the tank.
Some who are just over a year are looking for colder spots, but still very active and eating normal.

I don't do the youngsters in brumation, but I know a good breeder that does everything in brumation, also the newborns.

[Chondro788]

All of my adults were fed their last meals before brumation on Sunday. In about 2 weeks, I will unplug the heat, and on Nov 1st, they will go to the fridge! I love this time of year, so much excitement for the coming spring and pairing up the adults!!!

[RedSidedSPR]

Eastern RedNeck?

[Kantar]

are you sure the eastern redneck will be able to survive without the whiskey? :D

how do you go by putting them in the fridge? wouldn't it be very cold? how about air supply? what do you put them in?

[GarField000]

Eastern RedNeck?

Lol, Eastern Blackneck .... :D, Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus

[snakehill]

My eastern has not eaten in 2 weeks and is much less active. She is almost like a zombie (like Shannon described in another post). She doesn't react to my hand like she normally does. She spends a lot of time in one of her hides although today she has been basking for the last few hours. I'm not sure what to do. Should I leave her light off for a few weeks (like Shannon suggested) to give her a kick start? I'm pretty sure that she is only a yearling so would she brumate if she were back in the wild? I feel like I should know this by now but I've never kept a garter over the winter!

[snakehill]

Why won't you answser me! answer me!! yeah!!!:p

[kibakiba]

People have lives away from the computer.

[katach]

No, my life is this site, I just have to do other stuff too, like work, and be a mom. :D