01/08/2025
I frequently see questions on why animals are not eating at this time of year, usually after a month or two of not eating. For a lot of species, they go into brumation, or cooling. This is especially common in species where the temperature difference between summer and winter are large, which also causes fluctuations in light.
Brumation is similar to hibernation. They go inactive, seek cooler temperatures, avoid the light, refuse food. For bigger and more mature animals, I personally encourage them. It's a natural part of their cycles, and there's evidence to suggest that it may be healthy for them, like reducing the likelihood of bulb tail in hognose snakes. Sometimes, with younger snakes, I DONT want them to brumate, as their small bodies aren't as equipped to go without food that long. While they would likely have to in the wild as a natural result of being outside, in captivity there's no reason to risk it.
If you notice your animal is getting hissy, refusing food, or shedding poorly, there's a strong chance it's because the seasons have changed, and even that we as humans change our inside environment to keep us comfortable, which changes our reptiles parameters. When you turn the heat off and on during the cooler seasons, it has the tendency to tank humidity, and can lead to dehydration. Animals who don't have their needs met frequently don't want food. This is why people harp so much on having thermostats to help keep temperatures consistent, and why monitoring their conditions are so vital!
Where I live, our normal humidity in the house is about 40-50%, and most of the animals don't need the extra help getting the humidity they need. In the winter, humidity can drop to 20%, which is a massive change. In the winter we make sure to top off waters more, add more water into substrate to help boost the humidity, and add humid hides as needed.
Adjusting artificial lighting may also help with preventing brumation. In a lot of animals, the shortening of the day is what triggers the instincts to prepare for certain weather. 12h is a good place to start to try to keep your critters from wanting to brumate in the winter.
This is all generalized and not specific to your species, but it's an important thing to be aware of! If your animals behaviors have changed, there's likely a reason for it, and it's up to us as carers to monitor and make sure we are providing the correct conditions for our critters.
Pictured is Bean, mom of our hogs, currently in brumation:)
