Introduction to Four-Season Management Methods for Snake Farms, Essential for Scientific Snake Keeping
Snakes are ectothermic animals, and their body temperature changes with the rise and fall of the ambient temperature. Good management of a snake farm can ensure normal growth and reproduction of snakes and improve snake yield and quality.
1. Spring management work (February to April)
Spring is generally the most suitable time to introduce snakes for breeding, as there is no need to worry about the weather being too cold or too hot during transport, and the farm soon enters the egg-laying period. Before introducing snakes into the snake farm, the area should be cleaned in advance, and cleaning and disinfection work should be done well. Snakes that have just emerged from hibernation basically do not eat for the first 2~3 weeks, and only begin to eat a small amount of food in April; in May their food intake increases greatly, so sufficient and hygienic feed should be provided regularly, and the snake farm should have clean drinking water. At the same time, @#@246@#@ should frequently observe the snakes' activity and promptly record the snakes' predation, drinking, molting, mate-seeking, mating, reproduction, pests and diseases, and death.
2. Summer management work (May to July)
Summer is the main mating and breeding season for snakes, and also the peak season for predation, activity, and growth. Female snakes should be well cared for, snake eggs should be collected in time, and preparations for breeding and incubation should be made well. Female snakes and male snakes should be separated and kept individually, and the food supply should be sufficient and diverse. The egg-laying female snakes should be carefully observed. If egg grains are seen 3~4 cm from the cloaca, eggs can be laid after about 1 week. Attention should be paid to collecting snake eggs and doing a good job of artificially incubating young snakes. In the heat of midsummer, cooling work for the snake den should be done well, the snake farm should have clean drinking water, and feces should be cleaned up in time.
3. Autumn management work (August to October)
Autumn is the peak predation season for snakes, so the feed supplied to snakes in autumn should be of high quality and large quantity, so that the snakes store a large amount of fat in their bodies for overwintering in winter and for physical consumption during the emergence period the following year. At this time, individual snakes with small food intake should be manually force-fed so that they can safely pass the winter. Because wild snakes have a large predation volume in autumn and often leave their holes to seek food, this is also a good time to catch breeding snakes.
4. Winter management work (November to January of the following year)
Winter is a critical season for artificial breeding, as it relates to whether snakes can safely overwinter. Especially for snakes from which venom was collected before overwintering or snakes with weaker constitutions, management should be strengthened even more during the overwintering period. Before overwintering, snakes should be allowed to eat their fill and drink enough, and the feed should be of high quality, large quantity, and diverse, so that they can accumulate enough fat to supply the needs of overwintering. During the overwintering period, snakes should be kept at an appropriate temperature (young snakes require an indoor temperature of 2~6°C for overwintering), and the indoor temperature must be strictly prevented from fluctuating high and low, so as to avoid causing young snakes to wake up during hibernation, which is unfavorable for overwintering. In winter, the temperature and humidity of the snake farm should be checked regularly. The snake overwintering pond should be covered with plastic film. When the temperature rises, the plastic film should be lifted to let the snakes come out of their holes and move in places with sufficient sunlight in the snake farm. Sick snakes should be isolated or killed in time to prevent infection of the whole group. Because snakes are especially concentrated during overwintering, infectious diseases spread quickly and are highly harmful.