Overheating

[Nathalie]

So we've been hit by a really bad heatwave. I live in a really small apartment that heats easily. My corn's tank is on the shadowy side of my apartment but it has been getting really hot for him, about 75-80 degrees (25°C) on the cool side (usually around 20°C or 70 degrees). I've noticed he's been trying to escape and can't seem to be able to relax. He has been drinking a lot more but still eats well. Does anyone have any tips on cooling his terrarium down? I've resorted to unplugging his heat mat during the days and keeping it on at nights as well as keeping his water extra cold. I also have a tiny fan pointing to his tank but it still seems a little too hot.

[Nathalie]

Oh and this has been going on for two weeks, but recently the weather has been getting even hotter

[Armiyana]

I'm in Southern California and while it's weirdly cool right now.... I've had some miserable hot days in my last apartment. My condolences.
As long as the daytime air temps in the tank aren't spiking over 92 degrees you should be okay.

The most important thing for him would be hydration.
Make sure that he has a clean water source, you can give a bigger bowl for now as well. Also, mist as often as needed to maintain the humidity or make a nice little cave on the cool side with moist moss. He can curl up in the bowl if he wants to take a cool bath.

[Bogertophis]

Oh and this has been going on for two weeks, but recently the weather has been getting even hotter

Turn that heat off at night too! Corn snakes do just fine in the 70's. Do NOT let it get over the upper 80's- 92 is way too hot for a corn snake. (I keep corn snakes- many, & for decades.)

You could put a small ice pack, a cold gel packs or a bottle of very cold water next to, in, or on top of the tank. Keep in mind that the colder it is, the more condensation these options will produce-it's best not to put ice in the tank but if you do be aware it will also cause dripping- fortunately your corn snake will probably enjoy that. Less messy would be cold (from the frig.) re-usable gel packs- & you could put them on the screen top* (*I'm assuming?) because remember that cold air sinks, & warm air rises. (same goes for containers of very cold water, but be careful that your screen top is sturdy enough for the weight of whatever you're using) Use whatever you have & just see how that goes- I'm sure your snake will appreciate some relief. A few ice cubes in the water bowl will help too- but will quickly melt & not last all day (like if you're away at school or work).

Fans do NOT help a snake to cool down because snakes don't perspire- fans only help cool the air a little when the air is going thru water, as in a "swamp cooler" (aka "evaporative cooler"), or we humans, because we perspire.

[bcr229]

Fans do NOT help a snake to cool down because snakes don't perspire- fans only help cool the air a little when the air is going thru water, as in a "swamp cooler" (aka "evaporative cooler"), or we humans, because we perspire.

Exactly! Though if the snake is not in an open-top tank, putting a cold pack in front of the fan so the air flows over it before hitting the snake's enclosure would help cool the air and the enclosure wall.

Definitely cool water inside the enclosure, and water is denser than air so it has more thermal mass; multiple water bowls or a large one will help more than a small bowl.

[Homebody]

Does anyone have any tips on cooling his terrarium down?

I don't have central cooling, so during hot spells, I take two one quart plastic milk jugs, fill them with water and freeze them. I put one in the tub at a time alternating them until the spell passes.

[Nathalie]

Thanks everyone. I gave him a larger water bowl and put cold water bottles wrapped in towels in his tank that im changing a few times a day. Also turned the heat off completely. Ive also gotten my apartments overall temperature down, which has helped a lot. His tank is still quite warm but it seems to be cooling down a bit (fell from 83 degrees to 75 during the night but was up at 78 this morning). He really liked the water bottles and burrows around them. He also took a soak in his bowl and he isn't as stressed as before.

The forecast said the heatwave should last the next week and then we get really stormy and rainy weather. Hoping he wont be too stressed from this.

[Nathalie]

We use celsius here so im not sure if im putting the temperatures correctly, sorry

[Bogertophis]

Good job- hang in there- I lived many years in the desert- power can fail, or one may not have A/C- sometimes one has to improvise.