Hibernation

Most people that try to breed temperate colubrids hibernate (cycle) their animals. I have some kingsnakes I want to breed next year, so I decided to give it a go.

Here's the steps:
Decide you'll hibernate them over the holidays to make vacation easier. Good a time as any.
Stop feeding the snakes early october.
In late October, figure out what can keep temps in the low to mid 50s, and hold lots of plastic bins. I went with a wine cooler.
Blanche at the cost of the wine cooler, but buy it anyway.
Realize the wine cooler doesn't fit in your car, call a friend with a van from the phone at Home Depot.
Get the wine cooler home, drop it on your foot while moving it into your bedroom while wondering how you're going to explain this to your wife.
Plug it in, set it at a medium coolness setting, let it run overnight. Realize setting 4 holds it in the mid 50s which seems perfect.
Come home from work, get a "look" from wife regarding the new thing taking up space in the bedroom, and the presence of snakes in the bedroom.
Clean out some extra tubs you have laying around, and some small water bowls.
After tubs are dry, fill with 2-3" of aspen, place water bowl in, an get the snakes in the tubs. I'm chilling them in pairs or trios based on desired breedings.
Week 1-3:
open door daily to let in fresh air, check on water bowls and animals. Be grateful for drastically reduced cage work.
Weeks 4+:
Be bored out of your skull with all your babies in hibernation and nothing to do. Think about painting the house, building an outbuilding, or just watching paint dry.
Week 12 (still to come:
Warm up temps in wine cooler over 3-4 days to the mid sixties. Unplug heat tape on the rack I use, and place them in the tubs at room temp for a day or three, then plug in heat tape on a lower setting.
Week 40:
Look forward to a short break again ;)