hibernation

[zoe]

ok i have another question...

is it absolutely necessary to give pythons a hibernation period in an indoor enclosure if you don't plan on breeding from them any time soon? i'm sorta confused about the whole no. of daylight hours and cooling period thing. he's only young and his heating is supplied by a heat pad for the mo and our house is really cold in winter so he might freeze his nuts off (and yes i know he doesn't literally have nuts)

oh and my other silly question is...i've been taking a few piccies of our spunky snake recently and the camera kinda does an auto flash thingy and now i'm worried i'm gonna blind him cos a few pics have been of his face
don't laugh at me :roll:

[Greebo]

it's not absolutely necessary at all.
Some people don't cool for the first couple of years and it doesnt harm the snake.Once a snake reaches adulthood, it is best to hibernate them though.

[Hawkeye]

Hi Zoe......your questions are good and keep this forum ticking over so don't stop.

What Greebo says is absolutely right and the hibernation/cooling issues are ones that have been debated many times. The basic principle for hibernation/light cycling is to make the artificial enclosure environment more like their natural environment (more light and heat in summer colder and darker in winter). Although this is not essential in the long run after they becoem adults it is better for them.

Breeding is another issue and they need to be cooled so that they can breed successfully.

Cheers Hawkeye

IMO its better to cool snakes regardless of breeding efforts.Anything over 2 years I feel should be given temps to substitute the seasonal changes.This is just my opinion but one I feel strongly about.There is no harm in a seasonal change in temperatures and it also gives the snake time off.Most importantly is it duplicates what would happen outside in its natural state.As already suggested no harm will come from either approach but I feel cooling gives more benefits than keeping them at the same temps year round.

[NoOne]

The extent to which they are cooled should depend on the species. Cooling temps for tropical pythons should be warmer than those of southern species. Theres alot more to cooling than just turning off the heat.

For example when i cool my water pythons they remain active right through the cooling period but stop feeding.
On the other end i cool my coastals so they go into semi hibernation and are not very active except for drinking.

I think it's important for all adult pythons to have time off from feeding and following their natural climate is the best way to do it.
I cool all my adult pythons if i'm breeding them or not.

I don't cool pythons until they are about 2yrs old but thats just me.

[lutzd]

Ditto. ... and I don't think the flash will hurt them. They may see spots for a while, but they should recover, IMO. :wink:

[James]

I was told by a breeder that my pair of Stimsoni will only go off there food in winter if the heat is turned off.

He told me for the first year just keep them like you have been during the warmer months.

My enclosure temps are 14 to 31 if they go off there food so be it. They are still very active at night even when it’s really cold and have not stopped eating.

[zoe]

so when you hibernate them does that mean you shouldn't handle them cos they're sleeping? and will they stop eating of their own accord or do you have to stop offering? i think we'll wait til he's maybe a year or 2 before we start the hibernation thing cos i wanna keep up his handling so he stays as tame as he is now.
the other thing is that he has no artificial light inside his enclosure cos the room he's in is pretty bright in the day and dark at night but we're often in the room with the light on late at night so do u think it would be better for him if we put a towel or something over his cage so it's not light, dark, light, dark all night?

[Greebo]

Ok...it's best not to handle them when hibernating , even if the snake is still active during cooling.
When you plan to cool your snake it is vitally important that you don't feed it for at least 3 weeks before hibernation.If there is undigested food in the stomach, it will rot and eventually kill your snake. Snakes can not digest food below 21 degrees.
If the room is well lit then a towel over the front would be a good idea.
I don't know how bright your room is but it is generally accepted that Diamonds benefit greatly from uv light.Maybe your room is very bright and your snake will get enough natural sunlight. But you may want to think about putting in a UV flouro light.
( I am trying to avoid the whole 7 yr syndrome debate)

Ditto with everything Greebs has said.
IMO you should take your snake outside for several hours a week to recieve natural sunlight.UV spectrum is blocked by glass and will not benefit your snake through a window and UV lights also lose there effectiveness after 3 months.

[Alexahnder]

how does the Uv get through the outside of the tube cos that is glass??

[africancichlidau]

The U.V. tubes are not constructed from normal glass but from Quartz, this is one of the reasons they are so expensive.