How to brumate when the house is too warm?

[andrewross8705]

I'm getting ready to brumate a few of my hogs in a few weeks but the problem is that my house is too warm, the basement included. I thought about sticking them in a room with the window open but there's the issue of rain and snow coming in. The attached garage was also a thought but it's dark around the clock with no windows and it drops down into the 40's at night.

Does anyone else have a similar issue when it comes to brumating? It's 1.1 hogs so they won't take up much space.

[Prognathodon]

Can you close and/or cover the registers in a room with a door? Doing that and closing the door should lower the temperature somewhat.

Some tortoise owners modify a refrigerator for wintering their torts, can’t remember if that’s considered hibernation or brumation, though, and it’s definitely a dark environment.


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[andrewross8705]

Can you close and/or cover the registers in a room with a door? Doing that and closing the door should lower the temperature somewhat.

Some tortoise owners modify a refrigerator for wintering their torts, can’t remember if that’s considered hibernation or brumation, though, and it’s definitely a dark environment.


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I can cover the registers which would lower the temps slightly but not enough to make a real difference. I'll have to look at modifying a fridge or wine cooler if that can be done safely for colubrids.

[paulh]

... The attached garage was also a thought but it's dark around the clock with no windows and it drops down into the 40's at night. ...

No windows is ideal. If the garage doesn't get below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, it sounds good to me. However, I worry about the place getting opened often to let a car in and out, which would not be good. Or you can try partitioning off a corner and insulating it.

I've used a refrigerator to brumate garter snakes at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. No problems, but you do need to be careful that the snakes have plenty of water. Dehydration is the biggest problem.

Good luck.

[andrewross8705]

No windows is ideal. If the garage doesn't get below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, it sounds good to me. However, I worry about the place getting opened often to let a car in and out, which would not be good. Or you can try partitioning off a corner and insulating it.

I've used a refrigerator to brumate garter snakes at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. No problems, but you do need to be careful that the snakes have plenty of water. Dehydration is the biggest problem.

Good luck.

What type of fridge have you used? I thought about a wine fridge I could program but worry about them getting enough airflow with it being essentially a sealed box. If I go the wine fridge route, I can just cover the window with paper.

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[andrewross8705]

I bought a fridge from CL that was cheap yet functional. I've been working on trying to get the temps to hold where I want them but it's been a bit of a struggle. I think part of it may be that the fridge is too close to a wall mounted heater so I'm going to move it and see if that helps. When running, it cools down to about 47 or so. Unplugged with the door shut brings the temps up to 63. I'm aiming for 50's for the hognoses but may have to settle for the 63 when it's unplugged. I've read multiple articles and from other breeders that they have let the temps dip into the 40's but I'm not comfortable with that as I'm not sure if that would cause long term problems for the hognose.