Cycling snakes, cooling etc.

[hungba]

When I first started breeding, I had no experience so I just called up a famous breeder and he shared his breeding methods with me. It involved keeping the ambient of the room to 75 to 77 with space heater, not letting it get lower, and just turning off the heat tape at night from oct to feb.

It worked, so despite reading how peope did not cool at all to breed and it was fine, I didn't want to "fix what wasn't broken", and just kept doing it. Besides, people would say they "don't cool", but then say that just means they "let temperatures drop naturally", so it is hard to even know what they are really doing.

I've bred successfully for a few years now, and while what I am doing works, it is becoming a pain in the butt. Electric bill to keep the room at 75-77 is going up as the collection grows and so does the snake room. The bigger room makes it harder to keep temperatures even as well, requiring fans here, there, everywhere. Bigger room now needs more heating and humidity goes down, so now I added a humidifier.

I am wondering if I can get the same results if I just forget all that crap, and just keep my hotspots at 90 year round, and as they say, "let the ambient temps drop naturally".

In order to eliminate the room heating hassles, that means I will not heat the room AT ALL. Now, here it seldom gets lower than 60f indoors through winter. I wonder if hot spots at 90F in a room at 60f is too dangerous with regards to RI. Or would the snakes just end up on the 90f hotspot all the time, affecting results.

[bcr229]

My snake room stays at 78*F year round, with hot spots at 90*F. I don't cool my BP's for breeding. My understanding from those who do cool is the lowest the room should ever go is 72-73*F at night.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

As far as the breeding goes many things can work, cooling not cooling, keeping a hotspot at lower temps at night only, not having a hot spot at all and only use room temp etc, the key is to find what WORK for your animals and for you. I have tried many different things over the years mainly because conditions changed (different snake room and location changing the conditions) and my results were similar. Now I just have my snake room at 75/76 on the winter and a hot spot of 84 (which is about 4 degrees lower than the usual)

Now as far as your actual ambient temps in the 60's if the temp in your tubs is around 60 that it will be unhealthy for your BP, and a combination of improper temps, stress etc will create issues.

You will need to get that ambient temp at least in the 70's and have your rack/enclosure well insulated.

[CD CONSTRICTORS]

I keep the facility at 72F- 75F year round. I just think with ambient temps of 60F you may be asking for trouble.

Females get dropped from 88F- 90F to 84F during breeding season. They still spend most of their time OFF the heat while breeding this time of year.

[hungba]

Can you guys show me your fan setup? In the coldest days I use a heater and fans and end up with top shelves hot bottom shelves cool.

[CD CONSTRICTORS]

Can you guys show me your fan setup? In the coldest days I use a heater and fans and end up with top shelves hot bottom shelves cool.

No fans here.

A $69 radiant oil heater keeps the room nice and stable. Probably a 2F difference from the floor to ceiling... well insulated.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Can you guys show me your fan setup? In the coldest days I use a heater and fans and end up with top shelves hot bottom shelves cool.

No fan here either. Just a oil filled heater, sure there is a difference between top and bottom (that's inevitable) but it is minimal.

[grcforce327]

Hot air rises.............ceiling fan on low!

[grcforce327]

Cycling snakes

For some reason,these guys didn't want to cycle this snake.
http://i.imgur.com/5CaDC.jpg