Brumate Hatchlings?
 

Hi folks, I'm new to the forum. And new to breeding snakes.

Caught a California Kingsnake in May. Became obvious she was gravid, and she laid eggs in July. So now I have 5 little wigglers. They didn't hatch until October due to lower temps during incubation. They shed but have not eaten. Prior to shedding, two of them attempted pinkys but had trouble so gave up. I'm wondering if they are not eating due to time of year and temps, which are running in the low 70s during the day and mid 60s at night. Mom is not eating either. I suspect she is preparing to brumate. She ate like a little pig until early September. So, I'm going to brumate her, but I'm finding very little info about brumating hatchlings. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks!

Re: Brumate Hatchlings?
 

Preferably you would not want to brumate hatchlings. Hatchlings would usually have over half a year to bulk up for brumation. Even with the lower metabolism they are still burning calories.

In my opinion, you should avoid brumating the hatchlings this season and if you do not plan on breeding them, perhaps never brumating. Some people feed during brumation. If you were absolutely set on brumating, I would look into how to do that.

Re: Brumate Hatchlings?
 

Generally, no, don't brumate hatchlings. That said, keeping the temperature high might not stop the hatchlings from brumating as you cannot control barometric pressure.

Try to keep temps warm and see if the snakes will eat. Probably give it 4 weeks, one feeding attempt per two weeks. If they won't eat then I'd drop the temps and allow brumation to occur.

Re: Brumate Hatchlings?
 

Thanks, folks. I think I'll keep them warm for a few weeks and see if they'll eat. I think I may have found a source for live pinkys, so I may give that a shot. As I said, a couple of them made an attempt at F/T pinkys but gave up. Maybe live will make a difference.

I appreciate the answers.