Should I bruminate?

Hi,

I am wanting to breed my snakes next season and was just informed that it would be a good idea to bruminate them in order to get them ready.

So far I have removed all of our adolescant snakes and put them in a warmer room. Then I turned off the heater that was keeping the room about 76-78 degrees Fahrenheit. This dropped the room's temp to approximately 70 degrees. The adult snakes that are remaining in the room ate one week ago. I realize that I have to let their bowels clear before I finish the "temperature drop" process but my dilemma is this:

I can't seem to locate a good place in my house that can keep the temperatures in the 50's for 4 months. I am considering getting a wine cooler but how do I keep them from suffocating in there. I suppose I can open it once a day and wave the door around to circulate the air.

What do you all suggest? I was also told that I could just turn the heat off and let them experience the drop naturally with the room temperature (it should probably drop off to around 66 degrees at the lowest and might reach 70 at the highest). This would be to not completely bruminate them but to just let them experience the drop, and then when Spring comes I would turn the heater on slowly and bring their temps back up to the 80's.

If I did this instead of the entire brumination process don't I still have to worry about them feeding?? I mean... I don't want them to starve to death. I'm so confused here...

What do I do? What would you suggest?? I really need all the advice I can get. I've done a ton of reading and I am rearing a clutch of hatchlings right now so I'm good on that end but I just can't seem to find all the answers I need about bruminating.

Thanks!!

Bump

Should I just not bruminate altogether? I'm just so confused about this aspect of it...

If all you are keeping is corns and you don't have easy access to a cold room, I'd just skip it (btw- it's brumate). I have a garage addition that was always a little cool in the winter. I simply close off the heat ducts, close the door and it will get to 45 on the coldest of nights, and low 60's on a few hot days. I move the snakes in there after a 2-3 week fast and let the temp drop. I keep an electric radiator in the room set on 48 for those nights it gets into the single digits outside. December 1st they get chilled and February 14th (Valentine's Day -so they'll be in the mood for love) they get warmed up. Personally, I brumate in individual cages.

Thank you for the correction. I was never quite sure if it was brumate or bruminate.

Okay, so since I am skipping the brumation then am I going to be looking forward to them NOT mating in the springtime?? Their temps are a tad lower than what I would like right now due to the temperature outside but they are nowhere near brumation temps. Should I just leave them be for now and then warm them up to the correct temps come Springtime and hope for the best?

There's really not a "happy medium." Either put them down or keep them up. Letting them get a "little too cold" isn't something I would recommend. Corns will typically breed without brumation, cooling them just sets the timing up like clockwork.

I don't brumate and my lot breed without quite happily. Brumation has some advantages including perhaps a slight increase in fertility, but it isn't absolutely necessary to breed successfully.

In your position, without a suitable place/temperature, I wouldn't bother any type of cooling. Just keep them at their usual temps and feeding schedule. They'll know when it's Spring. Don't ask me how, but mine certainly do...

Awesome, thank you all for your great advice. I will continue on like normal then ^_^. I have some hungry snakes that are about 2 days past their feeding day, lol.