Switching from nocturnal to diurnal?

[CosmicOwl]

I know that most snakes don't have a strict approach to what time of day they are active. Factors such as temperature, season and weather can affect the time of day at which a snake will be out and about. That being said, I know grey rat snakes are generally diurnal as adults. At the moment, my baby is primarily nocturnal. At some point, I assume he will begin to transition from being active at night, to being active during the day. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will happen. It would be nice to hear from somebody with experience in this area.

Additionally, when he is a year or so old, I'd like to create a bio-active enclosure for him. I have plenty of time to prepare, but now I'm debating what the eventual outcome should be. I was thinking about just upping the size of his tub, but now I'm thinking about building him an enclosure that will accommodate his adult size and activity periods, as well as his arboreal habits and any potential plant life I might put in the enclosure.

I'd really appreciate any opinions on the subject.

[Mikoh4792]

My grey rat would be active during the day for short bursts. He'd move around alot for a few minutes then rest up in the branches... and continue this.

I haven't really stayed up to see him move around at night.

[CosmicOwl]

My grey rat would be active during the day for short bursts. He'd move around alot for a few minutes then rest up in the branches... and continue this.

I haven't really stayed up to see him move around at night.

That's interesting. Was he always active during the day, or did you notice him making a transition?

[Mikoh4792]

That's interesting. Was he always active during the day, or did you notice him making a transition?

No transition at all. I never observed him during nighttime so there is always a possiblity he was active during all hours.

But during the day he would rest in the top half of the enclosure and periodically move around the enclosure.

[smy_749]

I know that most snakes don't have a strict approach to what time of day they are active. Factors such as temperature, season and weather can affect the time of day at which a snake will be out and about. That being said, I know grey rat snakes are generally diurnal as adults. At the moment, my baby is primarily nocturnal. At some point, I assume he will begin to transition from being active at night, to being active during the day. Unfortunately, I don't know when that will happen. It would be nice to hear from somebody with experience in this area.

Additionally, when he is a year or so old, I'd like to create a bio-active enclosure for him. I have plenty of time to prepare, but now I'm debating what the eventual outcome should be. I was thinking about just upping the size of his tub, but now I'm thinking about building him an enclosure that will accommodate his adult size and activity periods, as well as his arboreal habits and any potential plant life I might put in the enclosure.

I'd really appreciate any opinions on the subject.

Not sure about this...I find it hard to believe nocturnal species who probably can't even see very well in the day would be active in the day time.

[CosmicOwl]

Not sure about this...I find it hard to believe nocturnal species who probably can't even see very well in the day would be active in the day time.


I said most snakes. I'm sure there are species of snakes that are strictly nocturnal and diurnal. However, I'm fairly certain that most snakes species will change their activity periods to suit environmental factors. For instance, diurnal snakes might become active at night during the hottest part of the year.

And Mikoh, thanks for the input. That's very interesting. My juvenile is active at night, but he often hangs out in the upper areas of his tub.

[Terranaut]

I have multiple species and they definitely have set ways. All of my carpets are evening/morning active. My Gopher is a daylight only snake. My king is a morning snake but sometimes come out at dusk. My boa is a day snake too and spends his nights sleeping. So I assume these traits are based on species and not learned traits.

[Mikoh4792]

Same, during the day all my carpets are nothing but lazy coils on their perches, once the lights go out, they all assume hunting position or roam their enclosure.

[CosmicOwl]

Of course, I could be wrong. I've read several times in the past that snakes will change the time of day their active to suit their temperature needs. That's what I'm basing this opinion on.

Maybe captive snakes do not express this behavior because their conditions are more stable?

[smy_749]

Of course, I could be wrong. I've read several times in the past that snakes will change the time of day their active to suit their temperature needs. That's what I'm basing this opinion on.

Maybe captive snakes do not express this behavior because their conditions are more stable?

Its possible with species that are 'jack of all trades' if you will (like ratsnakes). My point in my post was that from what I've seen, most snakes are designed for one or the other.

[Stewjoe]

It could be seasonal. In the summer snakes with rest during the hottest hours while in spring/fall they will be out basking midday.

[CosmicOwl]

Its possible with species that are 'jack of all trades' if you will (like ratsnakes). My point in my post was that from what I've seen, most snakes are designed for one or the other.

My point was that snakes go all willy-nilly when it comes to being nocturnal or diurnal. I was just saying that sometimes they will be opportunistic about when they are active. Maybe I'm wrong and that is just outdated info.

Either way, the point of this thread wasn't to argue about when snakes are or aren't active. I just wanted to see if anybody has experience with any snakes species that naturally transition from being nocturnal to diurnal with age.