Second thoughts on brumation...

[Stefan-A]

May I interject?? if one were to keep the lights on a constant summer cycle, the snakes don't know any different.

We kept our snakes up last winter, they had the same light cycle as summer, and ate all winter long as if nothing were any different.

Doesn't work this far north.

[Garter_Gertie]

I'm not sure it's going to work here, either. I've been keeping the 100w 'white' light on +/- 12 hours/daily with Peeps and Jeeps, and Niizh and it does not seem to be working. I'll keep doing this and see what happens. They've definitely slowed but, other than Peepers - who I only see like once a week anyway - they're out and about. But their appetites have decreased markedly.

[Loren]

I see a variety of winter behaviors in my collection. Everything from eating like a pig year round, to going off feed for 5 months whether I keep them warm or not. Depends on the species and the individual animal.
If you dont need to breed them, nothing wrong with feeding them year round- but if they stop eating on their own(but they seem healthy), its probably best to put them somewhere cool for the winter.
Right now, most of my animals are still eating, but a couple have stopped.

[Snake lover 3-25]

but what if you think your snake is a tad bit....... ok maybe a little more than a tad on the heavy side? he's still eating...... but he's pretty fat....... should i brumate him?

[jitami]

Light thing apparently not working for my wild caught kids either. Ella who's usually a PIG is out and about, literally laying next two two thawed fuzzies... Sly is moved to a feeding tank also ignoring two thawed fuzzies...

CB babies, on the other hand, are stuffed to the gills, already returned to their warm, snuggly, tank where they're curled up together in their log

[Zephyr]

I'm starting to think season changes don't affect captive bred snakes that much...

[Garter_Gertie]

Niizh is captive bred. And so are his parents. And he's decided food's not to his liking.

BUT... I must admit we're talking a Hoggy here and they can go off feed if you look at them a way they don't like.

[Zephyr]

Coincidentally, I checked her after their 4 hour rendezvous. I don't see a sperm plug; Could fertilization still have happened? I don't recall seeing one with my albino checkered either... And in their "mating tank" there was some weird fluid in one of the corners.
Did they complete the deed?

[adamanteus]

There is a lot of 'off-season' mating activity going on with many of my Garters too, Kyle...... I'll be curious to see if the females are still receptive come the Springtime.

[Zephyr]

The thing here is that I actually put them together as opposed to finding them that way.
I put the male in to the female cage, he sniffed some dried urine, then he just went crazy. lol
So I took her and him out, put them on my bed (didn't have a container handy) and watched him hunt her down. XD
They stayed locked in the bin for four hours, so I'm wondering if she's going to conceive even though I didn't find a plug. Also, I decided they were finished when I saw them unlocked.