a few questions

i had a few general questions on cooling my redtails. this is my first year and will hopefully be successful. i was curious on cooling temps and the length needed for down time. i havent been able to locate anything specific anywhere, any links or info would be greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance,
greg and kristin

Firstly - many breeders do not bother cooling their boas to breed them.

Lighting may be more of a factor (decreased light due to wintertime).

If you still want to cool your boas, I'd stop feeding them first (so they can digest properly whatever they still have in their systems), and then just do a few degrees at a time... and possibly only at night.

But... you definitely do not NEED to cool them, like some other types of snakes need to be cooled.

Cooling To breed is a dieing tradition,many have never done it and more are getting away from it every season.
Some talk of slightly cooling males for improved sex ratios but there seems to be just as many calling BS on that too
Personally Ill side with the "Light Cycle" approach

I don't cool them, and won't either, due to the inherent risk of causing other problems. Boa are susceptible to obtaining illness in cooler conditions, and they are also known to get ill during gestation, due to the body building babies and not fighting off infections as well. Put them together, you double your chances of a sick, gravid female.

At least that's my reasoning. Maybe people just cool them too far though.

On the other side of the coin, I do know a breeder that does cool his Boa for breeding, and to be honest, I always see almost perfect litters with few or no slugs at all coming from him. So there may be something to it if it's done properly.


But, like mentioned, many do not, and more each year are following along. It does work without the cooling. Proved fact.

Rick

FWIW,they also feed throughout