Suitable Ambient Temperatures For Some of Our Popular Pet Snakes

Not all snakes are made the same and they all have special needs including diet, substrate, humidity and especially ambient temperatures. Some pet snakes even have a need for diurnal and seasonal temperature drops to mimic their wild habitats. While this step is crucial in breeding some of the more exotic python, boa and colubrid species, it is still also an important part of the daily and seasonal temperature needs. Keeping your reptile pets happy is the first and most important step after finding the perfect snakes for sale.

Python Ambient Temperature Needs

Pythons are found in tropical areas around the world from Africa to Indonesia to Australia. They are found in different climates when it comes to humidity but always in the warmer parts of the world. The African Pythons like the Ball Python, the Rock Python and the Angolan Python are used to daily temperatures that reach into the high 80s with nighttime drops that can dip into the mid 70s. The Indonesian Pythons like the Indian Rock Python, the Burmese Python and the Reticulated Python are used to higher temperatures and humidity levels while their Australian counterparts experience hotter and drier weather conditions. During breeding season a lower amount of humidity and the lower ranges of the ambient temperatures will suffice in getting a healthy sperm count from the males and inducing follicular development in the females.

Boa Ambient Temperature Needs

Boas are found in the Americas, Indonesia and Madagascar. They are a larger group of animals than the Pythons and have a greater variation in ambient temperature needs. The ground boas like Redtails and Dumeril’s tend to be able to handle a lower night time drop that can reach into the low 60s while having some extreme daytime highs in the 90’s as well as a lower humidity level. The tree boas like the Emerald and Cook’s have a lower affinity for heat choosing instead to retreat into shady and cooler areas of the forest and can also tolerate a much lower humidity level. Finally the anacondas and sand boas go to extremes of the two where anacondas live in the water with the highest possible humidity while sand boas live underground in very dry conditions.

Colubrid Ambient Temperatures

Colubrids are found in many different parts of the world. They are made up of Rat Snakes, Milk Snakes, King Snakes, Pine and Bull Snakes and many other branches of this highly evolved and variable snake family. While relatively cooler ambient temperatures with a dormant hibernation cold period is a must in breeding colubrids, they all seem to prefer lower humidity levels as well. Daytime temperatures of low 80’s with a nighttime drop into the 60’s seems to be a perfect temperature for keeping most colubrids. Some keepers offer water on a limited basis during dormancy while others remove it for good during this prolonged period of cold temperatures in the 50’s.

Snakes are highly evolved creatures that have stood the test of time and become the amazing animals we see today. They have a high tolerance for our mistakes in keeping them in the proper enclosures and habitats but this does not excuse keepers from learning about what their particular snakes need and offering them a chance at a comfortable life in a suitable environment.

To know more about caring for a pet snake follow the link through Snake for sale.