Temps for Bulls

[JoshSloane]

Hey All,

I have been keeping and breeding boas and ball pythons for over a decade now. Im interested in getting a pair of bull snakes to add some diversity to my breeding. The ambient temps in the room with my other racks stays in the high 70s to low 80s this time of year, and low 70s during the winter months. I don't have rack space for any juvenile bulls right now. Was just wondering if it is possible to keep a pair of juvenile bulls in tubs on top of the racks I have, without any supplemental heat for them? Ive been reading that some people keep bulls without a hot spot and just keep ambient temps in the high seventies. Does this work?

[EL-Ziggy]

I know other keepers that don't use supplemental heat for their bulls. I keep mine with a warm spot of about 82 year around. They seem to prefer cooler temps so I think you can probably get away with it during the summer months but I'd probably add heat during the winter months to aid with digestion.

[JoshSloane]

Thanks, that's what I was thinking. Thought I could just put their tubs on a mild heating pad for a day or two after they ate to help digest in the winter.

[John1982]

You should be fine with those temperatures.

[JoshSloane]

Great. I live in CO and we have tons of bull snakes in the wild here. Just saw one in my backyard. I figure that a bit of supplemental heat in the winter and im good.

[Black Hills Reptiles]

The curator at reptile gardens has a weird way of keeping snakes and I am going to try it out. His philosophy is that in captivity snakes don't need to thermoregulate as they do in the wild. He says every snake he has worked with likes to and can do everything they need with a core body temp of 80ish so he doesn't use a hot spot for anything and just keeps ambient temps at 78-82. If you can buy in to that philosophy your bull snakes should be just fine at that temp.

[JoshSloane]

I actually have heard similar sentiments from keepers. Boaphile keeps every snake at 81 deg ambients with no hot spots. I was thinking just a simple 6 qt tub with a water dish and paper towel substrate. Sound ok? That's what I do with my baby boas.

[Black Hills Reptiles]

I don't have any bull snakes but if the tub works for the size I see no real issues. Best part about the core body temp theory is that you don't have to worry about humidity. Even though bulls don't need much