Well, I don't do too good in Swedish either....

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Posted by Terry Cox on December 07, 2002 at 10:54:28:

In Reply to: Ah ok! posted by driftaway on December 07, 2002 at 07:06:45:

I didn't know you were having some trouble with English. Brumating temps should be in the range of 50*F to 60*F. If you can't get the temps down to at least 60*, you shouldn't brumate. Also, below 50* would be too cold and may cause some problems for this snake which is not adapted to temps that cold.

You don't have to brumate. If you continue to feed her all winter, I would keep her in the 70* to 80*F. range. She might eat less, but should continue to feed, if not being cooled.

Best wishes,

:Hi again!
:Sorry! I missunderstood you!
:My inglish isn't that good. I'm from Sweden.
:Let's see if I got it right this time.
:I don't have to cool her? But if I do the temp should be
:max 50�F, right?

:Tanx again!
:/Jimmy

::That's not what I said. Do you want to keep your snakes active, or cool them? Keeping them at room temp for two months doesn't do anything except draw on their reserves. It's probably not too healthy for them either. If you cool them, take it down to at least 60*F. Higher than that will cause them to metabolize their reserves.

::Schulz ('96) said that they should brumate at 50 to 60*F, for two to four months. I said that I brumate my snakes under those conditions. I wouldn't do it if I didn't think they could do it in the wild.

::Although the Tropic of Cancer passes through the center of Taiwan, the island does have a winter. It might not get too cool around sea level, but these snakes range to over 3,000 ft. in the mountains. At 0-500 ft., it probably doesn't get lower than about 50*F, at any time, but I have a theory that the snakes migrate up into the mountains during winter to hibernate, and migrate back down in spring. There isn't any research I can use to prove this, but there are other ratsnakes that use these stategies. Ever hear of the pilot blacksnake.

::To sum up, it would be my recommendation that you brumate them, if you have a good reason for wanting to do that. If you don't want to brumate them, then don't do it. I like the break myself, and I like to give my snakes the break too. Later...TC.

:::OK!
:::So if I drop the temp to normal roomtemp for about 2 months, it would be ok? I don't think it will get any cooler than that in Taiwan in the winters, right?
:::Do they brumate in the wild?

:::/Jimmy

::
::::If you're going to cool her, stop feeding her and leave her at normal temps for two to three weeks, maybe cooling to 70*F, or less, by the third week, so she can completely digest everything. Then drop the temp about ten degrees per week until you get down to your desired brumating temps. Usually, the longer I cool em, the lower I have the temp. Too long at too high a temp can cause body weight loss. Good luck.

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Follow Ups:

OK! Tanks man! (nt) driftaway 12/09/02 (0)