First of all you do not have to do
this, I my self tend not to do this. I find this is only for them
who are seriously into breeding corns for a living. My self I just
let nature takes its course if the females gravel and lay so be it.
Before hibernating your snake you need to make sure that your snake
is in very good condition or you run the risk of your snake dying
while you are trying to hibernate it. You need to make sure that the
snake is healthy and doesn't have anything wrong with it.
If your snake is in the best condition it can possibly be in, you
can then continue on with the process. The next step is to stop
feeding your snake for about 3 weeks before you actually begin
cooling the enclosure.
At this time you should be setting up a .hibernation chamber., for
the snake to stay in. Most breeders do not keep their snakes in
their normal cage, but instead prepare a semi-large container for
the snake to stay in. The cage still needs to have a locking lid
because the snake will still move around, for this reason you will
also need to keep a water bowl filled with water at all times during
the hibernation time. The enclosure should be kept relatively dark
while the snake is hibernating. It should have at least 5-10 inches
of a substrate that the snake is able to burrow in. A good substrate
for this is corncob bedding or something similar. The enclosure
should be kept at most 60 degrees F., the ideal temperature being
about 55 degrees
However, before you actually put the snake in the enclosure you
should do the following. First, the week before you start lowering
the temperature, you should start giving your snakes daily baths in
warm water to help get the waste out of their systems. It is very
important to have no waste left in the snakes because during
hibernation, leftover waste can actually harm or even kill them.
After this week is up, the next thing to do is to place the snake in
the new .hibernation chamber. that you have already set up. You
should then start lowering the temperature by a few degrees everyday
until the desired temperature is reached, which should be no more
than 60 degrees, but the best temperature is about 55 degrees F. The
snakes will be kept like this for about two months (8 weeks),
although some breeders can get snakes to successfully breed after
six weeks, the recommended number of weeks is eight.
After this period of eight weeks is over, you should then start
returning the temperature back to whatever it was before hibernation
by increasing the temperature by a few degrees everyday. Once the
temperature you want has been reached you can put the snake back
into its regular enclosure. At this time, males and females should
be separated. After about a week, try offering food. After another
two-three weeks, the female will usually shed, giving you the signal
that it is time to put the pair together.
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