Do you brumate your breeders ? How ?

[wyzza]

Okay guys, we know there are many way to prepare cornsnakes for breeding.

What is your method ?


Personaly, I simply cool my snakes in February, I lower the temps for about 3 weeks and then i put the heat back on and they start doing there thing.

WYZ

 

[VinnyJ]

I cool mine for 2 months. Last year I started their brumation at the beginning of Dec and brought them out at the end of Feb. This year I started them Oct 15th and I'll start warming them up Dec 15th. Two months seems to work well for me. I'd like to start brumation in the beginning of Sept next year. We'll see .

 

[Drizzt80]

I use a 10 week brumation period NOT including the 2 weeks prior to empty the gut. In fact those that were ready were just put into the cool dark cupboards! They'll be coming out the week of X-Mas!

D80

 

[MegF.]

I turn off the uth's sometime near the end of November after stopping feeding for 3 weeks. Then I cover the tanks with a dark towel and place them some place cool. Usually my temps aren't lower than the low to mid 60's. In February I uncover them, after a day or so, I put them back in the warmer snake room, turn on their heaters and give them another 4-5 days. I then give them a feeding of a food item one size smaller than they usually eat. After that I go back to their regular feeding program.

 

[Chris Olson]

I brumate from mid to late November through January. About 8 weeks total. I stop feeding the beginning of November. At their coolest, their temps get down in the low 60's. I resume feeding a couple of days after I bring the heat back up. A lot of people religiously introduce the female to the males cage, but I have had good success doing the opposite. I don't think it really matters that much. I start pairing as soon as females start shedding. I will also note that I have bred pairs successfully with no forced cooling cycle.

Chris

 

[pcar]

haven't currently brumated any of my snakes and have bred for the last 4 years with out any problem. I am planning on trying out the brumation this year from December to Feb and seeing what difference I get in the clutch sizes. I just don't know how I will keep temps at about 45 unless I move them to a different room.

 

[gwb8568]

I just don't know how I will keep temps at about 45 unless I move them to a different room.

or a different state................... :sidestep:

 

[MegF.]

You don't need the temps at 45 to brumate. The low 60's is sufficient.

 

[Jimmy Johnson]

brumation

They get their last meal the last weekend of October.
I then give them until Thanksgiving weekend to expell all waste.
Thanksgiving weekend I will place them in the containers I plan to brumate them in and place those in a cool closet for a week.
I then take them to the basement for brumation.
I leave them in the basement until the second week of February.
I then bring them up to the closet for a week and then back to their containers at regular temps.

 

[gwb8568]

:-offtopic ........it's really not off topic, but after searching for a place to ask this question, i decided here with the pros would be better than starting another thread.......sorry wyzza, not meant to hijack.
i have purchased two snakes over the last year with both "supposedly" being proven breeders (1999 0.1 king and 2003 1.0 milk). anyway, i will not be ready to breed until next year (not these together) obviously, but have also never brumated before. do you think since they most likely have gone through that process before that they will try to get that way again? can they tell with daylight hours and slight inside house temp changes that "it's time"? i only like doing things correct and when i know what i am doing and right now, am not comfortable or set up to brumate. thanks for any suggestions and please don't let this take away from the original topic.....just looking to the more experienced for help.

 

[MegF.]

Just keep the temps up and the lights on longer to keep it more like summer and they shouldn't have a problem. The male might still go off food come breeding time though.

 

[mike17l]

I plan on brumating for 10 weeks this year. I will stop feeding at the end of November, and start cooling about the 15th of December. I will then heat up the animals at the end of February. I plan on cooling my entire snake room (very small) with a window unit ac. I will use a thermostat meant to be used for an attic fan. I will have the thermostat set on 50F and it should be good to keep the room under 60F. I have quite a few alterna and mexicana and thus need a little cooler period (under 60) than most. I plan on using an ac that is rated for a larger room than I actually have so that it will coll quicker, and hopefully more efficent.

 

[Joejr14]

Just put my first group down on Wed. I'll have a few more going down when these guys are coming up---which should be Jan 1st.

I pledge no more July/August hatchlings. Blah!

 

[ChristinaM]

I don't brumate, mainly because I don't have anywhere to get the temps low enough Even the basement stays at 70F. Only place that "might" work is the garage, but I worry about the exhaust fumes from warming the vehicles as well as I'd have to check the temps to make sure it is not too cold.

The only closed room I could open a window in, is my snakeroom in the basement, but.... I have snakes that are not brumated ( my Brazilians, ball python and a Colombian BCI ) so that wouldn't work either.

I would like to try it, if I could find a way to do so, safely :shrugs:

But, having not brumated, I have never had an issue with it. The snakes reproduce fine and dandy

 

[El Jefe]

Ahh...brumation....

It changes every year for me depending on my schedule. One year I went to Europe from January to May so I brumated them almost the entire time. (I had a friend check on water and start warming them up in mid-late April.

Usually, however, I do it sometime in November or December and take them out about sometime in February or March. Last year it was the weekend after Thanksgiving to Valentines Day. This year it is going to be right after the SC show (Nov 4-5) to Valentines Day. Valentines Day is a good calender mark for me as it gets them hatched in plenty of time for the Daytona Show and the other fall shows...yet, not out too early to have to mess with babies forever! (Plus, the longer they are up, the more they eat and now that my adult colubrid collection is up to about 500 mice a week...it gets pricey!) Also, if up by Valentines Day, then shedding starts around St. Pats day or later and breeding commences right around my April Fools birthday. Sort of a little present for me and everything hits the holidays so I don't have to look at a calendar. Eggs then come mid-late May with babies hatching end of July early August, feeding in a week or two and ready for Daytona and the Fall shows.

More than you probably care to know...but I'm in a mood to type it all in.

Cheers.