Cage Pacing

[Iguana]

hey everyone,
it's my first time brumating my reptiles, and it's been a learning curve so far.
I've dropped the heat, in time not temperature, and taken away about 2 hours of lighting for everyone.

But I don't know if they are actually 'brumating' or not, I say this because both my Diamond and Jungle are pretty much never in their hides. The Diamond is pacing a fair bit, and i'm guessing he's hungry. He's 3 or so if that helps.

The Jungle, which spent 20 or so hours each day in his hide, now refuses to go back to it. He sits up high on the branches all day, and under the heat for a couple hours at night.

The pink tongue is eating less, he doesn't seem so hungry, but now 'basks' under his UV light. He is out much more.

Jungle Heat- 8ish am- 12pm

Diamond heat- currently 3 hours, am dropping to 2 today.

Pink tongue- no heat, (some heat comes from tank underneath, but not a lot)

All have light from 7am-5pm

Not sure if this is just how it is, or if i'm doing something wrong...
Any answers are appreciated

 

[MzJen]

My Stimson boy also paces around his enclosure for hours every night.! It looks like he's trying to escape or is having a dance party in there.!

 

[Scutellatus]

You need to drop the temperature as well as the time. This is to simulate winter temperatures and daylight hours.

 

[kittycat17]

Hahaa pacing is not looking for food at this time of year
He's looking for a girlfriend
My guys are getting 8hrs of daytime heat


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[pythoninfinite]

I would give the Diamond 3-4 hours heat in the morning and no heat after about midday. Depending on the size (mass) of the snake it will need enough time to become fully warm before retreating and curling up to maintain absorbed body heat. If it doesn't have enough time to absorb enough heat, but just enough to keep it moving around, you'll risk it getting a respiratory infection, as their immune systems are weakened through the cooler months.

Jamie

 

[Iguana]

Hahaa pacing is not looking for food at this time of year
He's looking for a girlfriend
My guys are getting 8hrs of daytime heat


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Oh he's gonna be pretty disappointed to find out all my reptiles are male!

(Didn't know they looked for mates in winter, I thought it was in spring lol)

only 8 hours? man I need to drop mine down a fair bit then lol.

 

[Iguana]

My Stimson boy also paces around his enclosure for hours every night.! It looks like he's trying to escape or is having a dance party in there.!

Not to mention all the noise they make, I can't count how many times i've woken up to a log falling over

 

[kittycat17]

Yup most anterisia species are mating atm and carpets are getting ready
They mate, then ovulate then approx a month after that have a prelay shed then approx a month later they lay eggs
They would want eggs hatching in spring/summer so gotta start the process in winter


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[MzJen]

my boy has absolutely trashed his enclosure tonight.! Slipped under his hide rock, out the other side, then straight up the back wall and fell off into his water bowl...

 

[Callum Dureau]

my boy has absolutely trashed his enclosure tonight.! Slipped under his hide rock, out the other side, then straight up the back wall and fell off into his water bowl...

Ha my woma does stuff like that all the time, its a pain to clean up

 

[Scutellatus]

Yup most anterisia species are mating atm and carpets are getting ready
They mate, then ovulate then approx a month after that have a prelay shed then approx a month later they lay eggs
They would want eggs hatching in spring/summer so gotta start the process in winter


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Most breeding in the wild starts at the end of winter to early spring. You can simulate the required temperatures to start breeding earlier but this will only work in a cooler climate such as the southern parts of Australia. The way you have that written Kittycat would mean that the eggs are laid in the middle of winter.

 

[Iguana]

@Scutellatus and @pythoninfinite

I'm getting some conflicting information, I agree that dropping temps makes sense, but for my diamond he will usually only bask for a couple hours anyway.
I read in 'keeping and breeding Australian pythons" that summer hours are 4 with 32 hotspot, and brumating begins with a drop to 3 hours, then down to 2, I didn't see a mention of temperature change.

So I don't know who's right haha, would a temp drop matter if the basking time is decreased?

Will drop the temperature for my Jungle though I reckon, may get a night/day thermostat.

 

[Iguana]

Yup most anterisia species are mating atm and carpets are getting ready
They mate, then ovulate then approx a month after that have a prelay shed then approx a month later they lay eggs
They would want eggs hatching in spring/summer so gotta start the process in winter


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Good point! Thanks for explaining that

 

[Iguana]

my boy has absolutely trashed his enclosure tonight.! Slipped under his hide rock, out the other side, then straight up the back wall and fell off into his water bowl...

Sounds like he had a good time! I love nothing more than laying out a beautiful enclosure, just to have everything pulled down and knocked over every night haha

 

[kittycat17]

I leave the temp but reduce hours of getting it

But I don't own diamonds!! So wait for a second person to say?

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[Scutellatus]

Some people reduce the temperature some don't. There are even people who sucessfully breed without a cooling period. I personally believe that mimicking nature is the best way to go, meaning a reduction in temperature and the hours that heat is available.

 

[Nero Egernia]

I find that during winter the basking temperatures in my set ups naturally drop a few degrees due to the cooler ambient temperatures. I don't use thermostats. I find there's no need for them. As a result the basking temperatures are not 100% stable. There are variances depending on the seasons. Just like nature. And my animals recognize this and respond accordingly. For example, one of my set ups has a hot spot that ranges from the low 40s (winter) to the low 50s (summer). Just apply the correct heating, with the correct wattage, and ensure your enclosure is large enough for a proper temperature gradient, and the reptile can choose for itself. Naturally, heat sources are on for longer during summer, and vice versa when it's winter to the point that the heat sources may be switched off altogether, depending on the species and their activity levels.

 

[Iguana]

Thanks for all the answers guys
Oshkii's made a good point I haven't considered, in that the enclosure temps naturally decrease anyway, especially since my house is pretty cold. A couple other people have mentioned that the their temp stays the same too, I think I may end up keeping the temp the same, but change the hours.
Thanks again everyone, it's cleared up alot