Pet pythons and hibernation??

[Kurt95]

Do you have to put pet pythons into hibernation? Someone told me you had to, and if you do how do you do it?

 

[Snowman]

I put my grizzly bears into hibernation. My herps I just brumate. Google "brumate python".

 

[someday]

Quick and short No.

 

[Snowman]

I don't brumate mine. Maybe I should..... and lol @ snowman n andynic :lol:

Unless you are going to breed them probably no real reason too. Or if you want to make them a little more lean perhaps.

 

[Jacknife]

Sometimes they can pickup the changes in barometric pressure and just go into brumation on their own anyway, had a Bredli do it for about six months last year and I hadn't done a thing to bring it on...

 

[Chris1]

depends on what you have, its highly recommended to cool diamonds every year regardless of breeding, with the rest its up to you.

 

[Sezzzzzzzzz]

depends on what you have, its highly recommended to cool diamonds every year regardless of breeding, with the rest its up to you.

so do you gradually drop the temps, or gradually drop the length of time they are heated for, and when do you know when to stop feeding?

 

[saximus]

I remember reading about studies that brumating is healthier even if there is no intention of breeding. I do it for this reason as well as the fact that you save a bit of dough on food. I will have to try to find some proper evidence though (don't just take the opinion of some loser on the forum).

so do you gradually drop the temps, or gradually drop the length of time they are heated for, and when do you know when to stop feeding?

Length of time. A basking spot of 30-32 should be offered regardless of season but just reduce the number of hours it is on for. I'm definitely not an expert but for a Diamond I'd be at four - five hours a day around now and reduce to four if you want over the next fortnight. If you're going to use this style, feeding depends on your ambient temps. I'm personally going to do my last feeds over the next fortnight because the day-time temps are still fairly warm here but they are dropping pretty fast and night-times are already kinda chilly. Up there it might be a bit warmer though?

 

[Sezzzzzzzzz]

I remember reading about studies that brumating is healthier even if there is no intention of breeding. I do it for this reason as well as the fact that you save a bit of dough on food. I will have to try to find some proper evidence though (don't just take the opinion of some loser on the forum).


Length of time. A basking spot of 30-32 should be offered regardless of season but just reduce the number of hours it is on for. I'm definitely not an expert but for a Diamond I'd be at four - five hours a day around now and reduce to four if you want over the next fortnight. If you're going to use this style, feeding depends on your ambient temps. I'm personally going to do my last feeds over the next fortnight because the day-time temps are still fairly warm here but they are dropping pretty fast and night-times are already kinda chilly. Up there it might be a bit warmer though?

thanks sax, its cooling down quite fast atm! freezing today! and my house is cold fibro hell, lol.

i'm only going to cool my diamonds, for their health, my md got an ri last year, so i will keep her heat up, not sure about woma yet.

and when do i start feeding again?

 

[Chris1]

i offer 6 hours of 30-32 a day (10-4) when i bring them in over winter, sometimes they dont use it for weeks, some days theyre waiting for the heat panel to come on. They seem to know what theyre doing. The cages are set up so the heating is only at the top and the lower levels are at room temp. I leave the windows open so nights get maximum chill. (the aviary doenst get sufficient sun in winter which is why they come in)

the only time i heat them in summer is for 2 days after eating to make sure they digest properly.

i'll stop feeding in the next few weeks, ive been outta rats for a while and want to feed them up a bit.

as far as starting to eat again, i generally offer towards teh end of september/beginning of oct, the female starts taking food again then, the male tends to start around november

 

[Snowman]

I do enjoy the cooling period where there are no nasty turds to clean up all the time! Just keep fresh water and my cleaning rounds are done

 

[Paintbrushturkey]

A lot of people seem to have issues with RI, during burmation, why (in other words what are you doing wrong)? I guess it's a bit odd to ask what i have to do to get my herps sick but just curious .

 

[saximus]

A lot of people seem to have issues with RI, during burmation, why (in other words what are you doing wrong)? I guess it's a bit odd to ask what i have to do to get my herps sick but just curious .

Generally it's either changing the day-night cycle times too quickly or that ambient temperatures get too low during the non-heating times. A good example would be animals from northern areas being kept in southern states where night time temps get down much lower than the typical environment that they come from gets too. This can also cause canker as well as RI.

 

[Snowman]

Also if they get an infection they don't have the necessary heat to fight it. We (as warm blooded mammals) get fevers that help fight the infection. In the wild they often find a place with very stable temps and bask when the sun breaks the clouds. Some authors have stated that giving 32 degrees for 8 hours in winter helps avoid RI taking hold. I've been using the 8 hour method and breeding each year.

 

[Starter]

What does "RI" stand for, please?

 

[andynic07]

Respitory infection

 

[andynic07]

Just out of curiosity , when people cut the heating hours down do you cut it down from the end of the day or the start. I cut it off at the end so my snakes get good heat early in the day but I suppose it wouldn't really matter.