How to Brumate?

[gargoyle]

Just wondering where I put my Kings to brumate? I don't have a basement and my garage is way too cold? will a bar fridge work and what temp to I put them down to....

Let me check on what I think that I know as well

feed heavy for two months before (already doing this)

make sure they're putting lots of weight on

let them clear their systems before putting them into brumation

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now here's the stuff I'm not sure about

1- what temp to I brumate at

2- how long should they be in there

3- how do I know if something is the matter

4- how often should I check them

5- how do I take them out of brumation


I hope I'm not a bother, just new to Kings

oh ya mine are just desert phase cal kings!

Thanx in advance!

[marisa]

Desert phase cal kings are my fav! OMG! Awesome. lol anyways.....

I am also putting my cal kings into brumation this year, so I am new to the whole thing but I will try and give a shot at some of those questions.....

The temp is colder the better...well I don't mean freezing but some people brumate them at around 60, others go down to 50. I believe in the 50's is preferrable as this gives a truer brumation and they shouldn't be losing any weight at this temp.

As for how long, I hear most people say 90 days, the other day one lady told me for years she has brumated corns & kings for 120 days. I think its really up to you, but the experts here can shed light on this for both of us as I may be off.

You can probably tell if something is wrong, the snake has lost weight, has discharge coming out of nostrils or mouth, mouth gaping etc.

I have read you should check on them once a week - once every two weeks. Just a quick, quiet health check and water refill.

When you are ready to take them out just warm them up too room temp for a few days, then back on the usual heat. Again, this is from what I ahve been reading and learning lately, and the experts here can help with more specifics hopefully.

Good luck and let us all know when you have babies next year! haha I too obsessed with cal kings.

Marisa

[gargoyle]

Is using an old bar fridge a good idea for this?

what about fresh air, is checking them once a week enough?

[Invictus]

A bar fridge will suffocate them unless you can find a way to drill air holes in it.

[marisa]

I have heard of a few people using fridges for not only brumation but also for incubators. Now I have never done this and I don't know any details on how to do it either, but it has and can be done. I will try to dig up some details if I can or else someone can maybe post their experience with it.

I do know that box turtle people also use the fridge for brumation more often than snake people. But not sure how they do it either.

Marisa

[C.m.pyrrhus]

Some answers to yer questions:

1~ Brumation temps very from person to person. My colubrids (with cali kings and Mt kings) are brumating between 40-55° during the whole time.

2~ 12 weeks would be fine for the species, but I know folks (as well as me) that go 14-16 depending on how temps are towards the end of the brumation.

3~ Check your snakes at least once a week. Keep fresh water (Cold, not warm) available and substrate enough to cover them if they please. As long as they have not ate in the last 2-4 weeks before brumation and they are healthy before they go in, then everything should be fine.

4~ To take them out of brumation, simply warm them back up. Their is no need for a "Cool-down" time or "Warm-up" time. Placing them from a 78° tank straight to a ~55° room isbetter IMO. Same the other way around, from ~55° room to a 78° room. Just give them some time to drink and wake- up so to speak, give them a day or two before feeding, and feed small meals as they have not ate in a few weeks. This will make it easier for them to digest. They gain weight back fast, that is if they even lost any.

Good Luck

[Beardonicus]

I will be breeding colubrids later and I am still curious as to how you go about cooling the temps exactly.

[Simon Sansom]

Yes, a fridge will work as long as you are able to...
A) Put a few ventilation holes in it, as Invictus just mentioned.

B) keep the animals at a reliable temp of about 55 degrees, give or take a degree or two.

Cheers,

Simon

[gargoyle]

Thanks guys and Simon I'll just invite you over sometime to make sure i'm doing it right..............if you can make time for it sometime?

[chuck911jeep]

Don't forget to feed them a lot at least 2 month before the brumating. Let them digest for approximatly two weeks before the begenning of the temp drop. NEVER put a non 100% healthy snake in brumation. Put a little water dish but not too large, the snake shouldn't be able to soak in it. If it's a cal. king, he should be at least 36".

[672]

So, if a fridge isn't very suitable, what is?

[chuck911jeep]

I builted a brumating place in my basement but the frige set up worked very well for me and my cal.king. But i think it should set between 50 and 55 degree

[C.m.pyrrhus]

I set my brumating area up in my outdoor storage "closet" off of my deck. I made sure all the cracks were sealed so I do net get any drafts. Other methods could be insulated boxes set in a cold area free from freezing temperatures, or anywhere with a constant temp between 40-60°, and as close to 50° as possible. It should be able to provide enough fresh air and no drafts. Humidity should be as low as possible as well, as damp areas are not good for brumating. Cold air has less moisture content as well, so this usually is not a problem.

[gargoyle]

remember guys, I'm in ontario, with no basement....outside will not work, we're talking high wind chills where I'm at, not really the main temp but the wind chill sucks......I'm going to have to do the fridge set up, I plan on cutting a section of the seal at the top of the fridge out, that'll allow fresh air in and old out. Also cutting it out at the top will keep most of the cool air in as cool air goes to the bottom.....thanks for the temp info....and everything else.

[tai_pan1]

I wouldn't cut the seal. I'd just open the door everyday. I'm gonna put mine in the fridge this year. Shouldn't be a problem opening the door everyday, my beer will be in there as well.

[gargoyle]

Sounds like a good plan to me!

[Will]

1~ Brumation temps very from person to person. My colubrids (with cali kings and Mt kings) are brumating between 40-55° during the whole time.

Isn't 40 degrees a little too low...? If I'm calculating correctly that's less than 4.5 degrees celsius. Seems a little cool to me. I may be wrong, but the limits I've always read was 50-60. Could someone clear this up for me...? Thanks.

[chuck911jeep]

try to be as close as possible of 50-60.

[gargoyle]

Thanks everyone for all the help! I'm going to try the Refridgerator idea and open it up every day, I'm also throwing the idea around of installing a carbon dioxide alarm in the fridge so that if there is a problem I'll no about it before it gets any worse. Again thank you!

[C.m.pyrrhus]

I have never had problems with 40-55°. Most folks I know here actually get better results with cooler temps, and for every species they brumate. The only big difference is the time spent in brumation. Montanes stay in a few weeks more. (Although I am in AZ, I am up in elevation and my brumation room averages 40-55° with the door or window ever-so slightly cracked.) Being that in natural hibernaculum, the temp is at a constant 40-55° for most species anyhow. 60° is actually pretty warm for brumating species. If the hibernaculum is that warm, then it would lie in a natural area where snakes are not truly brumating either.....

Also, the reason for my lower temps, is that most of my snakes are WC montane species, these are natural temps as well that they have been getting. The "main stream" of folks seem to think that 60° is a good average, but plainly is to warm and as has been proven to show that RI and other problems arise with this higher temperature. I would also advise that an good mean temp to hold is at 50°, yet 40-55° is what the actual temps would be at naturally.

~~A fridge would work OK, and the temp can pretty much be set at an average you see fit. I would just make sure you are getting fresh air (i.e. opening the door a few times a day or "afro-engineer" your self an air escape to allow circulation). A friend of mine uses a large commercial fridge he purchased to brumate his snakes, keeps right at or about 45-50° and has modified it with a small hole (I believe he said was about 1/4-1/2") for air circulation. Works like a dream. My woman would kill me if she found a hole like that, even just to find snakes in the fridge. I already have a few of them in the freezer, so my space is filled as is...lol.

[chuck911jeep]

If 40 is good for you and your set up, keep this way. No one do exactly the same thing and for the same period of time but me, i try to be as close as possible of 50 degre and i brumate them(cal.king) for a peroid of 3 month.

[gargoyle]

I think from all the info I've read and what everyone here is doing this time I'm going to try right about 50 this time and see how things go!

Again thanks!