brumation

[haroldo359]

hey. first off, none of my snakes are breeding age yet, this is just a question more out of curiosity. i know brumation is necessary for snakes to breed. is it good or bad for snakes that aren't going to breed or that you don't have mates for? and at what age is brumation appropriate? and how long do most of you guys think is appropriate? thanks.

[JuliusSqueezer]

Not all snakes brumate. If you try and brumate a Boa constrictor or python, you will likely kill them or at the very least have a nasty RI to deal with. Know the climates from where your snake comes from and the habits of each species. There is no accross the board answer for your question.

[haroldo359]

so boas and pythons don't brumate? i didn't know that. thanks. do they go off feed or anything b4 breeding?

[najaboy]

Originally Posted by haroldo359

so boas and pythons don't brumate? i didn't know that. thanks. do they go off feed or anything b4 breeding?

Here's where it's gonna get confusing. The more common boids in the pet trade don't brumate, but there are some relatively uncommon species, such as diamond pythons, that do brumate.

As Brett has said, there is no accross the board answer. In the end, you need to know the climate from which your snake comes from and adjust your husbandry accordingly.

[haroldo359]

ok, thanks. like i said, i am not looking to brumate any of my snakes anytime soon. it is just one the things i wanna read up on alot in the near future. any more tips from anyone are greatly appreciated, as well as good places to read up. Thanks!!!

[haroldo359]

ok, snake that do brumate, is there a proper age to start, or just for breeding or what??

[najaboy]

Originally Posted by haroldo359

ok, snake that do brumate, is there a proper age to start, or just for breeding or what??

It actually depends. Even for this query, there is no accross the board answer. For example, in the example I gave above (diamond pythons), I'd recommend brumation yearly.

As far as temperate colubrids and crotalids go, the only times that I generally consider brumating are if I'm planning on breeding, or if the snake is steadfastly refusing food.

[haroldo359]

ok, thanks. that is helpful. appreciate it. i was actually asking mainly for kings, milks and rats.

[east_stingray]

I'm not sure what others here will think about it, but my corns generally don't need brumation... the temp drops in the house in the winter are enought to satisfy.
-East