By Bill Love
As a novice herp collector, back in the dark ages (the sixties) when I was a teenager, the prevailing advice was, "Keep'em warm, or they'll get sick and die."
My fellow reptile fans and I were terrified that herps couldn't handle cold temperatures at all. That's why they went deep underground during hibernation, right?
Not so. Now, I know that many snakes, and almost all herps from temperate climates, need a cooling period so their bodies can rest and prepare for the coming breeding season. This is a necessity for their long-term health, not a torturous time to be avoided.
Even if you don't intend to breed your pet, letting her experience seasonal changes as she would in nature is a good idea. That way, you allow all her biological functions, even those we don't yet fully understand, to be influenced and proceed as they would in the wild.
Preparing for Dreamland
I stop feeding my colony of mostly North American colubrid snakes - corns, rats, kings and milks - in early December. The idea is that you want their digestive tracts to be free of leftover food or feces that could become a spawning ground for bacteria.
Two weeks after their last meal, when their systems are flushed out, it's time to drop the temperature for "the Big Sleep." I make sure clean water is available in each cage during the whole downtime of about two months.
The drop in room temperature reflects the change the animals would experience in native habitats during winter. Of course, I'm not advocating dropping the temperature to near freezing. Wild snakes would be underground, where winter's freeze doesn't reach its full severity, so such extremes are inappropriate. Cooling the hibernation environment to between 50 and 60 degrees F is all that's really necessary. Be certain your snake is healthy prior to hibernation as going into hibernation if not healthy can be detrimental to their health.
I don't have the advantage of a basement used by many herp collectors in more northerly climates as the den site. The relative temperature stability, in a cool but not cold range, of a typical northern basement can work well for this purpose, requiring little manipulation. By happy coincidence, it's generally a lot darker down there too.
Down here in Dixie, I use no extra heat all winter and even resort to running an air conditioner during daylight hours to counteract the warming effect of the sun on my herp room. My goal is to keep the temperature below 65 F so my herps don't wake up hungry in the middle of their supposedly tranquil and near-constant rest. Ideally, the mercury stays under 60 F, but short spells slightly above that during the day won't hurt as long as it cools down again after dark.
Adjusting the Light
Along with temperature, light influences hibernation. The hours and intensity of natural light diminish during winter, so your aim is to mimic - however crudely - what happens when the sun's lower angle casts weaker light.
In the snakes' room, I block off 90 percent or more of the windows and skylights with black garbage bags. You might get the same effect by completely closing the window shades or drapes in your herp room. If I have to enter my snakes' room at night, I don't even turn on the lights, so nothing disrupts the gloom of winter.
If you want to breed your snake, your best efforts to duplicate this natural cycle will improve the chances of success. What's more, if your snake does reproduce while in your care, it's a good indication that you're adequately addressing all her basic needs.