Lol dumb question but...

Do snakes hibernate? Like I’ve over heard that they do but I’ve never read or heard of anyone talking about but it and that your suppose to lower the temp to 60? Like really?


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I wouldn't call it hibernating.
In the wild ball pythons mate in winter. Males and females stop eating (since there's often less prey in winter due to the cold and they also cannot digest the prey anyway because ball pythons are poikilothermic) and then they mate. There's nothing more to it.
They don't eat, so their metabolism works slower than before and the animals appear slower as well but they don't go to sleep or anything. In their natural habitat the temperature go down to 60 degrees Fahrenheit but if you're a breeder you'll probably choose other temperatures. The hot spot should be around 85 degrees Fahrenheit and and the ambient temperature should be around 70 degrees. Since I'm not a breeder I'm not sure but I think you only want to drop the temperatures at night.

Nah I don’t breed not experienced enough but I was just wondering if I had only one snake do I have to lower the temps at winter? Or that’s only with breeders


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Originally Posted by n1c0l3

Nah I don’t breed not experienced enough but I was just wondering if I had only one snake do I have to lower the temps at winter? Or that’s only with breeders


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Don't lower it. There won't be any health issues or any other difference if you don't lower it.
If you do lower it, the snake won't eat anymore and since you don't want to breed, that's nothing you want.

Ball pythons don't hibernate, in their natural environment their temperature is pretty much the same year round. However, a lot of snakes do hibernate including California King Snakes (Colubrids). Some people hibernate their Colubrids for a few months just before the breeding season. That can be a bit tricky, you have to make sure not to hibernate until they have had a chance to digest and pass everything they have eaten, otherwise they can die during hibernation. Some people don't hibernate their Colubrids and still breed them just fine. And for pet owners you never have to worry about it. For my ball pythons I don't even drop the temperatures, I keep them at an ambient of 81F with a hot spot of 90F year round and I'm keeping and breeding them just fine. The only trigger I use to get them breeding is adding the males during the week with weekends off to feed.

In reptiles, instead of being called hibernation, it is known as brumation. During this period of brumation, a reptile may not eat, drink, defecate, or move for several weeks

With ball pythons there is no need to drop your temperatures ever, they will breed year round.