[aSnakeLovinBabe]

lol... you are going a bit gung ho with this brumation thing eh? 6 months, half a year... thats waaayy longer than necessary... why put them under for THAT long when it's not needed? Even here in PA, during warmer winters garter snakes are out till as late as november and can be back as early as late february!!! 3 or 4 months is the maxiumum amount of time I would keep my snakes under for... simply because I feel that any longer and you are simulating a relatively harsh winter that simply doesnt happen every year and simply is not necessary to stimulate cycling and breeding. We are trying to provide the very optimal conditions for our garters... having them out for half a year is not optimal and I don't see how it can benefit your snakes at all.... you are always taking a risk during brumation and the longer they go, the greater that risk will be.

Also... the brumating of tropical species or any species that isnt used to those temperatures would be... very risky, if not borderline stupid. A BP and similar species... would simply die! I would stick to a more suitable temp range for your ribbon... or for any snake that doesn't experience a harsh temperature change in winter, regardless of what you hear the "experts" doing.(didnt the "experts" tell everyone for years that the fluoride in your toothpaste is totally safe???) No matter what they are doing, it is un-natural and a REAL risk to the snakes.... why chance it, right?

I am just really curious to see why you plan on putting them down for half a year?