Skink Brumation

KarenSoCal

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I'm concerned about temperature for Thistle's brumation.

I've read that she should be between 55°-65°F while she's brumating. My problem is that I don't know how to do that.

Her enclosure is in my living room. Some nights it gets close to 65°, but not all. Then during the day it runs 70°-75°. That's with no heat turned on in the house. As we get further into Dec and Jan it may drop down some more, but when the house gets below 70° in the daytime, I'm freezing and have to turn on some heat.

I have nowhere that maintains 55-65°. Even if I boxed her up, fridges don't operate that high.

Has anyone ever tried to cool a closed chamber? How do you think I could do that? If I put a freezer pack, like used in a cooler, in the enclosure, would it cool it down? Any ideas?
 

KarenSoCal

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Location (City and/or State)
Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
I'm concerned about temperature for Thistle's brumation.

I've read that she should be between 55°-65°F while she's brumating. My problem is that I don't know how to do that.

Her enclosure is in my living room. Some nights it gets close to 65°, but not all. Then during the day it runs 70°-75°. That's with no heat turned on in the house. As we get further into Dec and Jan it may drop down some more, but when the house gets below 70° in the daytime, I'm freezing and have to turn on some heat.

I have nowhere that maintains 55-65°. Even if I boxed her up, fridges don't operate that high.

Has anyone ever tried to cool a closed chamber? How do you think I could do that? If I put a freezer pack, like used in a cooler, in the enclosure, would it cool it down? Any ideas?

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Tom

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Its not really brumation with these guys. After no food for two weeks, you can shorten the light duration by an hour every few days, and then just turn the lights and any heat sources off once you get down to around 8 hours of heat and light a day, until Feb/March. Room temp of 65-75 is fine. Try for more time closer to 65, but its not a big deal if its warmer. I gave one to a friend a few years ago, and their house is 72-75 all winter, and the skink is fine. I like to keep water in with them. You'll occasionally see some activity on warm sunny days, and they will sometimes get a drink, but they mostly stay hidden.

And it isn't "necessary" to do this at all. Some people keep them warm and feed them all winter. I prefer to do it, but when mine live in the 80 degree reptile room, there isn't much of a cooling period. I think breeding success increases if they have seasons.
 

KarenSoCal

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
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Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Messages
5,749
Location (City and/or State)
Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
Its not really brumation with these guys. After no food for two weeks, you can shorten the light duration by an hour every few days, and then just turn the lights and any heat sources off once you get down to around 8 hours of heat and light a day, until Feb/March. Room temp of 65-75 is fine. Try for more time closer to 65, but its not a big deal if its warmer. I gave one to a friend a few years ago, and their house is 72-75 all winter, and the skink is fine. I like to keep water in with them. You'll occasionally see some activity on warm sunny days, and they will sometimes get a drink, but they mostly stay hidden.

And it isn't "necessary" to do this at all. Some people keep them warm and feed them all winter. I prefer to do it, but when mine live in the 80 degree reptile room, there isn't much of a cooling period. I think breeding success increases if they have seasons.

I have been decreasing her light and heat slowly, and lights and heat will be off after tomorrow. I got concerned because she stayed in her hide for close to 3 weeks, then this last week she's spent 3 days out of the hide all day. She lays on her basking rock waiting for the basking light to come on.
She does sleep all day, even if she's out of the hide.

I have her water filled, but I haven't seen her drink.
 
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