Re: Brumation in modified refrigerator ?

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Posted by Scott Felzer on August 27, 2000 at 23:54:52:

In Reply to: Brumation in modified refrigerator ? posted by Sacha Korell on August 26, 2000 at 14:55:10:

: Hi everybody,

: I have had very poor success this year breeding my snakes (actually the past two years). I live in North Alabama, and last winter I was only able to get the brumation temps down to about 60F (in my closet, outside wall). I attribute my failure to breed most of my snakes (especially the Europeans) to this mild winter and I am seriously considering getting a small refrigerator and replace the thermostat with a more reliable "Ranco Electronic Temperature Controller" ($80.- at a homebrew supply store) that home brewers use to keep better control over fermentation. I always keep water bowls in the snakes' containers during brumation, so hopefully dehydration won't be a problem. One concern I have is proper ventilation. I was thinking about actually drilling a couple of small holes into the sides on the refrigerator walls, unless opening the door twice a day would be enough.

: I would appreciate any thoughts (ideas or concerns), or better yet personal experience with this method.

: Thanks in advance,

: Sacha

Sacha,

My experience with hibernating in re-
frigerators has been unsuccessful in
the past. My set up consisted of a
rubbermaid container (shoebox size),
newspaper as substrate and a water
bowl. I had drilled numerous holes
through the front door (about 50
total for maximum ventilation). The
major problem with this setup was
extremely high condensation inside
of the containers. This included
water on the underside of the lid,
which is a major problem resulting
ultimately in skin blisters. I had
to check each container daily, wiping
it dry and monitoring the snakes
health. I never tried hibernating
in a refrigerator without water and
it may be more successful however if
you have other options, you may want
to explore those.

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: : Hi everybody, : : I have had very poor success this year breeding my snakes (actually the past two years). I live in North Alabama, and last winter I was only able to get the brumation temps down to about 60F (in my closet, outside wall). I attribute my failure to breed most of my snakes (especially the Europeans) to this mild winter and I am seriously considering getting a small refrigerator and replace the thermostat with a more reliable "Ranco Electronic Temperature Controller" ($80.- at a homebrew supply store) that home brewers use to keep better control over fermentation. I always keep water bowls in the snakes' containers during brumation, so hopefully dehydration won't be a problem. One concern I have is proper ventilation. I was thinking about actually drilling a couple of small holes into the sides on the refrigerator walls, unless opening the door twice a day would be enough. : : I would appreciate any thoughts (ideas or concerns), or better yet personal experience with this method. : : Thanks in advance, : : Sacha : : Sacha, : My experience with hibernating in re- : frigerators has been unsuccessful in : the past. My set up consisted of a : rubbermaid container (shoebox size), : newspaper as substrate and a water : bowl. I had drilled numerous holes : through the front door (about 50 : total for maximum ventilation). The : major problem with this setup was : extremely high condensation inside : of the containers. This included : water on the underside of the lid, : which is a major problem resulting : ultimately in skin blisters. I had : to check each container daily, wiping : it dry and monitoring the snakes : health. I never tried hibernating : in a refrigerator without water and : it may be more successful however if : you have other options, you may want : to explore those.

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