Brumation poll

[NI GUY]

I've been doing a bit of reading on different sites and books about Brumation.I just want to know what methods the people on this forum use and what results you get from it.

 

[NI GUY]

I chose the second method and did this for only one month when breeding two females last year.I had very few slugs and both female double cluthched on there own.

 

[DavidM]

I use the third method, since I am not interested in large clutches which I might struggle to sell, and worry about the health of the snakes if I drop the temps.

So far I've got small (about 14 eggs) clutches of which 7 hatched one year, and 8 the next.

David

 

[Susan]

I prefer a combo of 1 and 2...drop the temps (when possible) to 50 - 65F but let them see light change.

 

[cka]

Great minds think alike, Susan :*).

Actually this is the first year I've opted for number 1. Every other year I would just drop temps to the mid 70's, bring the lights to 8 hours a day and feed every two weeks with smaller, cut food. Right now my temps range from 58 overnite to about 63 in the day, with no light. As it gets deeper into winter the daytime temp. shouldn't rise much above 60, and they'll stay that way thru February.

 

[Jimmy Johnson]

basement/garage

mine go into my basement/garage (garage under the house)
the temps range between 40F to 60F. Even during the warmest days I haven't seen the temps get above 70 and I have never seen them get below 35 on the coldest days. below 40 makes me nervous, though.
There are a couple of windows on one side and in the garage door that let in some light but these are covered with plastic which helps mute a lot of the light and the containers are covered with sheets.
This allows light cycles without getting too bright. I think it is a pretty good combination I just have to watch closely when the temps get down in the 20's or below. This is when there is the highest likelyhood that the temps in the garage could get dangerously low. I get worried anytime the garage drops below 40. More then a day of this and I will place spot lights over the containers to bring temps up a little.

 

[Susan]

Alot of brumation factors are going to vary depending upon where a breeder is located. What I would LIKE to do, and what I am actually capable of doing are sometimes totally different. Right now, I'm still getting temps into the 70's or even higher during the day here in Florida. And I don't have anyplace other than a cool garage or outdoors to brumate. I'll probably be using my Mom's garage alot this year as I don't think I'll get as great a fluctuation in temp as I have in the past when I used my back porch. And brumating in the coldest place inside isn't the best as temps just don't get low enough.

 

[Tom Tuttle]

The temps in the basement of my house are 60's in the summer, low 50's in the winter. I just place them downstairs & cover them up. It's worked fine for the past 20+ years.

 

[vanderkm]

In November, we move them to a small upstairs bathroom, block the heat supply and darken the window. It averages 60 degrees for November, down to between 52 to 57 through December to February - just remove the towel damper under the door if it gets too cool. Water change and check weekly and they have done very well for the past couple years we have been in this house. It is a nice break from feeding for the winter and reproduction has been more than enough!


mary v.

 

[MegF.]

Mine are in the closet in an unused guest room. Temps are staying around 58-62 degrees which is the coolest I can get indoors. I also covered the tubs with a blanket to make sure it's good and dark. Last year I put the tanks on the floor in my snake room and covered them with a dark towel. They stayed at about 62-65 degrees. I had 100% fertile and 100% hatch rate. We'll see what we get this coming season.

 

[marchettid]

this is my first year breeding. I put my snakes in the basement. It is in the high 20s low 30s outside, but the basement is about 54-56. If the temps get extremely low outside, 10s and below, I dont think Ill have to worry much because the heat vent is directly above where I have them brumating. I can simply open the vent for an hour or 2 to keep it at the perfect temp.

Also they are covered with a rather heavy blanket to keep out most light.

Doug

 

[farfrumugen]

no brumation here

i dont brumate and have had a 100% hatch rate with about 6 clutches so far and well over 100 babies hatched.
adam

 

[scottsquatch]

no brumation...yet

I haven't brumated so far and I had excellent results last season just by letting the snakes see the daylight cycle. It's not that I don't want to cool them, its just that in the past I never had a good spot to do it. However, the apartment I moved into last spring may offer me an opportunity to try it out. We have an internal stairway that leads up to our door. It is actually inside the building like a hallway, but it is private leading only to our apartment so nobody goes in there but us. We also have the only key. I have been monitoring the temps in there this yr to see how cold it actually gets. I have a feeling that it should work well from what I have seen. If it gets too cold in a Jan/Feb cold snap, I have a small oil filled radiant heater I can place in there to insure it doesn't get below freezing. Anyway, enough rambling. Good luck with the brumations. May all your snakes be extremely fertile!

Scott

 

[NI GUY]

Thanks guys,for your input.