hello!!!

[Markus18]

first my englisch is not the best because im from germany!
now i have a question!are you guys put your snakes allready in wintersleep???
i know its not called wintersleep but i dont know the right word for it!
I put my 2 "florida blues" in wintersleep since a week on 8°.
maybe you guys can write something about your impressions ?

[Gijs & Sabine]

Hi Markus,

my english is also not very good, but when you visit this site regularly it's getting better and better, I can tell

We put our garters in HIBERNATION (<--that's what I've learned already )in about 2 weeks, becouse the outside temperature was too high lately. The weatherforecast says it's going to be 19' c tomorrow !!
So now they don't get any food anymore. The adults get a hibernation of 2 months and the jung garters 1 month. I don't know if this is the best way, but it's working perfect for our snakes.
Hopefully we got next year babies of sirtalis sirtalis, s. sirtalis black, sirtalis tetrataenia, radix, proximus proximus, marcianus, elegans terestris. The others are not old enough yet.

Sabine

[Cazador]

Hi Markus,
Someone posted the word "winterruhe" last week, so we're all learning from each other. In English, we call it either hibernation or brumation. If you use either term, people will know what you mean. Technically, hibernation is a much deeper state of inactivity with bigger physiological changes (reductions) in energy use, activity levels, and so on. Brumation is often used with reptiles. It means that activity levels drop, but they remain more active and alert than animals that truely hibernate, such as ground squirrels.

Anyway, about half of my snakes have been brumating for a little over one month at about 9C, and about half remain active. I like to offset when they enter and exit brumation in order to delay their birthing dates.

P.S. Your English is very understandable, and it's good to have you here.

[ssssnakeluvr]

Brumation is the appropriate term, a state of decreased metablolic functions, they do stay active, but are slow moving..... I have my red siders, Oregon red spots, easterns, all adults in brumation. I have also put some baby easterns, wanderings, and northwesterns that weren't feeding in brumation for a month to get their appetite stimulated.

[Thamnophis]

Hello Markus, welcome here.

We are almost neighbours

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, Markus

[arborealboids]

Welcome Markus.
~mark