How does a snake act while brumating?

[larryg]

I have a couple of baby Miami Corns that were brumated prior to me getting them last month. Without going into all the details, can you tell me how a snake would act that's been put back into brumation, accidentally or otherwise? Do they act almost dead, or just a little sluggish? I am waiting to hear back from the breeder who no doubt will have an answer for me, but I'm still a little concerned. I understand it takes a few days or so for the snake to 'warm up'. I probably haven't been running the heat enough, and my nighttime temps have probably been dropping down to around 65. Assuming the snake IS brumating (and not sick or something), should it act VERY sluggish? This one hasn't been eating much anyway, so that shouldn't be an issue. Thanks.

 

[Susan]

Baby cornsnakes generally are NOT brumated, usually only adults that are going to be bred. For how long have your baby corns been at the lower temps? Does your viv have it's own heat source, such as heat tape or UTH? If you're only relying on ambient room temp for your snakes, then you definately need to get them their own heat source if the night-time temps are 65F. If they've been at fluctuating temps for a month, and they've had a meal or two, they may be having trouble digesting which can be creating problems. Brumating corns are usually very inactive unless they get a bit of a warm spell, which is okay occasionally, but they are never fed during brumation so there is no chance of them having food rotting in their system. And at 65F, brumating adults will respond to major stimuli, and will definately move around if you pick them up...they shouldn't act almost dead. You should get your babies viv up to proper temps (I would suggest low 80's at night to 90/92F during the day as a good goal in your particular case, to be adjusted later), do not feed them for at least a week to 10 days and see how they act. And if you suspect any problems in a few days after they get back up to temp, don't wait and get them to a vet.

 

[princess]

From my limited experience...

This year I brumated 3 young adults. 2 of them were as still as rocks the whole time and the other spent the whole time trying to get out of his tub. All 3 got straight back to normal within a couple of hours of being warmed up and happily took their first post-bru meal 3 days after being warmed up. If anything, they've all been more active since being warmed up.

 

[larryg]

I gather they were brumated by the breeder because they were not the best feeders. Brumating hatchlings will often trigger a feeding response, after they are warmed, which should be done gradually, by the way (probably not from brumation directly to 90+ degrees.) There are other posts on this forum about the same topic of brumating hatchlings.

It turns out the one snake in question died. Yes, they both have UTH heat, but this particular snake was choosing to lie at the cooler end of her tank. She was very small (less than 12 inches), delicate-looking and never had much muscle tone at all, in the month I had her. I suspect some underlying issue, perhaps just a weak hatchling. Her 'brother' thrived very well under the exact same conditions. She defecated normally, therefore I'm not sure I believe that her food rotted inside her, though it's one possibility.

 

[oreo1700]

sorry to hear about ur loss. this happens in the wild though. snakes that are about a month or two old have to go into hybernation when winter comes. many havent had enough to eat and dont last through the winter.