How do they know?

[teague]

I understand the fact that my BP may not eat during the winter months. If we regulate there temps and such...how do they know its winter? Is it instinctual?

[Smilts]

It may be instincts but I dont think so. Ive heard of though not seen for my self people changing there breeding habits and everything around to better suite there schedules, dont know how true that is, just something Ive heard.

[mykee]

Here in North America, it's the change in barometric pressure that cues them to it being the breeding season. That and millions of year of evolution (or only two thousand years if you're a creationist). (pffft!)

[sassamagoo]

Lol! Mykee, you crack me up. This comment and the counting rings comment both gave me a good laugh today, so thanks!

[mykee]

No worries, I actually "use" this site currently as a warm up for the more challenging questions on other forums...
Humour is just my coping mechanism... without it....rat tat tat tat tat!! You know what I'm sayin'?

[teague]

Thanks again mykee. Glad your hear to answer my less challenging questions.

[Will0W783]

Lol- you are quite a character Mykee. I also wondered exactly what it was- I knew it had to do with temperatures and day/night cycle but those you can artificially alter and still they sometimes "know" when it is winter outside. I guess you would have to have a room that you could alter the air pressure in and such to really reliably alter their breeding schedule. Sci-fi snake breeding/keeping FTW!

[mykee]

Kimberly, you can try to do whatever you want to alter their "sixth sense" but nature ALWAYS wins. Mother Nature is one stubborn b*tch.

[Will0W783]

I don't alter their sixth sense. I have just read of others trying it. My snakes "know" when it is nighttime, even if I have the lights in the room on. Lol, my female GTP starts to hunt as soon as it is dusk outside, even if I cover the window. I haven't actually cycled anyone this year for breeding, but last season my fiance's female adult BP went off feed from February- May. She would eat once in a while during that time, but was very picky and only ate small meals. Once June came around she began pounding medium f/t rats like crazy and is still eating well. I'm not going to cycle anyone this year for breeding, as I have a lot of juvies that I don't want to put through any unnecessary stress and I don't have a second room set up right now to separate the breeders from the others. I don't expect to breed any for another 2 years or so, and when I do I'm going to go with the seasonal changes around my area; I see no need to try to mess with the animals' internal clocks- why stress them more than necessary?

[Good 'N Plenty]

I too have always been curious about this, as my female BP usually goes on Food Strike sporatically from October through February and begins eating one large rat every 4-6 weeks during that time.

By the way, a creationist would say 6000 years!