ratsnakes and winter... - Reptile Forums

jacky · #1 06-14-2005, 07:28 PM

As I soon will be an amur ratsnake owner,I read a lot about that snake,and almost every article I saw was saying to put them in a winter-sleep from october to april.
And they also won't eat in winter-is that really true?

Who does have a ratsnake who is the whole year around and eats all the year through,can you please help me?I also read that if they don't have that winter break(I'm sure you know what I mean) they won't live that long and it's not healthy for them.
Before I pic her up,I will ask the guy how she was kept so far.He only had her for six month,but the guy before had her for 6 years.

**Merlin** · #2 06-14-2005, 09:19 PM

Jacky I can't speak for that particular species but cornsnakes are ratsnakes! Mine are active and feed all year long. As a general rule colubrids are brumated for the winter in preparation for breeding or in the case of large collections so the keeper gets a bit of a rest! It also saves on feeding bills!
I have never seen anything relative to colubrids being affected negatively by not brumating them. In fact it is the other way around. If the snake isn't in tip top shape they may not survive the brumation period.

jacky · #3 06-15-2005, 08:48 AM

Thanks Merlin.Yes,I am a bit worried,if I really had to brumate(I learned a new word,lol) her,I would be very insecure whether I do it right or not!
But over hear,those experts always say it affects their health and they live less longer.
But if she's never been brumated in her 7 years of life,then I'm sure not gonna start!
Imagine,my boyfriend seeing a snake liying in the fridge beside the yoghurt,lol!

Well,as I was writing this,in between I phoned that guy and asked him about brumation,and she never did it!Well,I'm glad about that!
He also told me that the reptile-center in the city has got a baby amur.....! Could be I just found the right snake for my soon empty corner tank,LOL! (But only if it's a boy,of course!) We'll see.

**Joe** · #4 06-15-2005, 10:33 AM

The Amur Ratsnake (Russian ratsnake) which is still classified as Elaphe and not Panthophis like corns and north american ratsnakes, I believe does have similar housing requirement to a corn though, just a bit more space. You will find that when they hit maturity the males especially will go off food in winter anyway, so the best thing to do is to reduce the temps as this will make them inactive and thus conserve body fat and maintain a good weight. If you keep the temps normal you end up with an active snake that isn't eating so is going to loose weight.

Hope this helps

**deltro_star** · #5 06-15-2005, 12:32 PM

Like merlin said, Ive only heard of owners burmating thier corn/ratsnakes if they were planning on breeding if not then I wouldnt suggest it.

jacky · #6 06-15-2005, 06:36 PM

Thanks guys!
Well,I'm gonna use a spotlight of 40watt and a daylight . As they don't need extra heat(up to 25°C) I could just turn off the spotlight in winter.But if she keeps eating,then I'll keep it as it is.
Is it true that they only start to breed at the age of 5or 7?? That's quite a long time to wait for snakes to have their first babies.My girl is 7 years old,and if I would raise a boy,well,I will have to wait a very long time to breed them! I guess my girl will have to live on her own.

**smallgrayfox** · #7 06-23-2005, 11:39 AM

I don't brumate my corns, and probably won't even if I want to try to breed them. I realize it means they might not breed, but maybe the will anyway...Brumation's just too scary to me...

**deltro_star** · #8 06-23-2005, 12:27 PM

I can understand that jacky

the thought of not feeding your snake and lowering the temps for an extended period of time can really be scary, especially if it's your first time!

**DarkMagician207** · #9 06-23-2005, 09:26 PM

i've had my corn for about two years and have never done that. he's always a really good feeder. i used to feed him once a week but he didn't always want to eat so I moved it to every 2 weeks and he seems to do better on that schedule. i don't do that for any of my snakes but I know my rosy boa didn't eat for about 3-4 months when it was cold. he'll eat now about every 2 weeks as well with no problem.


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