Jansenii / Oxycephalum

Temperatures

 by Freight Freitas

Although Gonyosoma hail from the equatorial region of Indonesia where both day and night temperatures are commonly in the 80’s and 90’s (F), life beneath the shade of the rainforest canopy can be much cooler. All of my Gonyos are kept in a range from 75-85F year round. Daytime temps should reach 80-83 with a cool down at night to the mid to upper 70’s. Overall these snakes appear to be quite tolerant of temperature fluctuations, and can handle temps above 85F for short periods of time, but I strongly suggest minimizing such exposures. I know at least one keeper that allow his Gonyos to cool down to temps much lower than 75F at night, but in my experience with keeping many species of tropical snakes I have found it preferable to avoid illness and tragedy by maintaining a reasonable lower limit. I also keep other species in the same rooms with my Gonyos, which further reinforces the need for a moderate nighttime cool down temp of 75F.

Temperatures can be maintained with any number of different reptile heating elements depending on both cage type and keeper preferences (light bulbs, heat pads, ceramic emitters, radiant panels, etc.). I personally use Ultratherm reptile heat pads and white incandescent household light bulbs for a few on my Gonyos that are in rooms that do not heat up above 78-80F during the day. Otherwise, most of my Gonyos are not heated, as they are in rooms that commonly reach into the low-mid 80’s during the day. . I particularly prefer heat pads for babies and juveniles, as light bulbs can be very drying to the air, which could promote dehydration, as well as shedding issues.