I know there have been plenty of threads and a lot of discussion about temps and the impact on our herps, but the last few weeks in NSW has really highlighted to me how the weather outside can impact an animal - even one that is kept indoors in a strongly controlled environment. Like much of the east coast, eastern NSW is coming out of a cold wet snap, following on from weeks of record heat. At our place we went from weeks in the mid 30's and even low 40's, to some cooler days in the high 20's and then suddenly we had a day that was windy and wet and only 18 degrees. All this time, our Stimmy has been in a constant environment, ranging from mid 20's at night to 31-32 during the day. Humidity has always been between 50 and 60%. Aside from shed time, he is very regular in his behaviour, and almost always comes out to bask and "hunt" from around mid-morning until late into the evening. Except on the cold wet day last week. He stayed in his hide and didn't move all day. Same temp and humidity inside the enclosure as the days before, but the weather outside was really bad. I know many of you guys have snakes that brumate in winter, even if you keep your temps up.
So how do they know? Can they sense the cold coming in through the glass? In this case, could my Stimmy sense the cold coming in through the windows across the room from his enclosure? Can they detect a sudden drop in air pressure? Is it something to do with the outside light? There's still a lot we don't know. Maybe that's why we find it so fascinating. :?
So how do they know? Can they sense the cold coming in through the glass? In this case, could my Stimmy sense the cold coming in through the windows across the room from his enclosure? Can they detect a sudden drop in air pressure? Is it something to do with the outside light? There's still a lot we don't know. Maybe that's why we find it so fascinating. :?
