Green Here Need Insight...

SO I am new to pits and have read a little about (sp)burmantation? hibernating none the less but how do i know when and what do i do to initiate this period of hibernation for what 2-4 months? Also during this period am i to leave her alone or treat her as normal. 0.1 Texas Bull any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Oh thanks for all the insight greatly appreciated.....

That second post seemed rather sarcastic, but I'll hope I'm just reading it wrong.
Brumation period is basically their winter break...they are exposed to cooler temperatures, and their metabolism slows down. Living in the northeast, I have always just put my bulls in the basement for the winter. In my old house, the basement has outside access, and the temps would generally start in the low-mid 60s, then drop into the 50s when winter set in. If we had a really cold period, it might drop into the mid-upper 40s for a while. The new house doesn't have outside access to the basement, and it stayed much warmer...I didn't monitor temps, but I doubt it dropped below 60 degrees all winter.
It isn't necessary to brumate bullsnakes, though there has been some discussion on the theory that it could be beneficial in some ways. I rarely brumate babies, preferring to feed them through the winter months. Some colubrids, particularly WC, will go off feed in the fall. If that happens, it is best (IMO) to cool them so they don't burn through their fat stores. I usually wait at least 3 weeks after the last meal before cooling them, to make sure they clear everything.
Different keepers have their own theories about water. I usually leave their containers dry for the bumation period - if I keep water bowls in them, it means I have to clean/change them regularly, and I prefer to leave the snakes alone unless I suspect a problem.

Thank you for your response and sorry for the sarcasim which it was I'll be a little more patient. So really for my bull just lowering cage temp for a few months in the winter is a good idea?

Try to remember that this site is currently getting 800-1000 new posts daily, and it's a busy time for those of us that breed....going 24 hrs without an answer - especially for a subject that won't be an issue for 6 more months - is not a big deal.

Depending on what you mean by "just lowering cage temp" - no, I don't consider that a good idea. Either brumate them, or don't. If the temps aren't low enough to slow the snake's metabolism, they'll just lose weight.

Just for clarification - brumation is not the same as hibernation. A colubrid in brumation shouldn't be torpid...they will still move around and respond to stimuli (but more slowly, lol).

The cooling process is pretty simple - I just turned off the heat to the racks for a few days (again, this is a few weeks after the last meal), then moved them downstairs. The bulls are in the basement at the new house, so I just before cooling, I drop the heat to 6-8 hrs per day for a few, then just shut it down.
In the spring, I used to just bring them back upstairs, let them gradually warm up for a couple of days, then turn on the heat. First feeding was the day after the heat went went on (heat was on for 10-12 hrs/day in the spring). With the racks in the basement, I just flipped the heat on...ambient temps were low enough that I didn't have to worry about the males getting too warm.

Mr. Moore, what are your thoughts about the cooler temps helping to improve sperm count?