Lengthy Question + Scenario Please Help..

Hey guys,

Buckle in - your in for a very long question..

I got a notice in the mail today giving me 2 days notice before they fumigate my apartment building. I have been advised that all animals need to be removed from the premises for at least 4 hours following the spraying. I have 2 cats, multiple rats, and 5 ball pythons. My ball pythons are in a rack that is way to heavy to move elsewhere.

During the times that they will be fumigating - I will be working. I am working 20 hours that day and my girlfriend will be working 16 hours. I can probably find a place for the cats to stay overnight but I have no idea what to do with my snakes..

I can't very well take them to work with me.. besides I will be jumping from 2 different workplaces. And everyone I know is afraid of snakes. Even if they weren't They would have no way to house them aside from the bins they are in.. but even then there will be no heat source for them for over 16 hours..

I have ran through a couple of options in my mind, but I need to gather more information. I hope you guys can help me.

Option 1:
Put them in my incubator..

I can probably fit them all in my incubator - even though its not set up yet.. so that at least they are in an air tight container. However.. because they will be in an air tight container they will have no source of oxygen other than whats in the mini fridge originally. How much oxygen do they need, and would 5 be able to survive on the air that is available in a 32"x19"x18" mini fridge? I would never even think about doing this under any other circumstance however Its one of these options vs. exposing them to fumigation (which will kill them..) It's also not set up for heat however I imagine they would be okay at room temp for 20 hours........

Option 2: I put them in storage in their tubs and pray they don't freeze over the 16 hour period that they will be left alone.. Its indoor storage but I don't know if they will be fumigating the storage areas...

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I have been calling all my local reptile stores and have been trying to get a hold of a breeder friend of mine to see if someone could hold them over night but so far I've come up empty handed. I'm really stressing over this so if anyone has any suggestions at all I am 100% open to ideas..

Thanks for those who have read this all the way through. I know its a lot to read,

Chris :(

Dang......if I were closer I would totally take them in for you.

I think if I were in your situation, I would put them in the incubator. But, I hope someone else has a better idea and advice for you. Good luck and keep us up to date please!

Ooh that's a tough one. Try to see if there are any animal care places around you that would be willing to deal with reptiles. It's not like they would actually have to do anything to/for them. Just let them be there.

Even a dog kennel that's indoors and climate controlled would be better than freezing and/or suffocating.

If your work allows you the time I'd even consider putting them all in individual tubs and loading them in the cab of my truck so I could go out and run the heater once and hour or so... I see you're in Toronto though so I don't know how feasable that is or if once per hour would even be enough during November.

Even if you can't leave the workplace maybe even a stack of handwarmers or something like that to keep the ambient air temp up? Would just have to be careful using something like that... and I don't even know if they displace oxygen in an enclosed enviroment.

Another idea. I don't know how feasible this is. I know around here you can rent indoor storage units. That may work for the time being, You would have to rent it for the month probably but they usually aren't TOO much. Plus you would only need a small one.

you might be able to work something out with a local vet. I live in an apartment complex as well, one time we lost power, but the office building at my complex had a generator. I explained my situation and they allowed me to set up my 2 ten gallon tanks and heat lamps there until power was returned a few days later. I don't know if you have this option avaliable or not, but it might be worth a shot.

Omg that suucks D: I'm still kinda new to this lol but I would say your incubator idea sounds like the best, but again i'm not sure on the oxygen they would need for that period either so i am sorry this is not much help D: I'm a couple hours from Toronto or i'd totally babysit for you lol, Good luck i hope it all goes well D:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

you might be able to work something out with a local vet. I live in an apartment complex as well, one time we lost power, but the office building at my complex had a generator. I explained my situation and they allowed me to set up my 2 ten gallon tanks and heat lamps there until power was returned a few days later. I don't know if you have this option avaliable or not, but it might be worth a shot.

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a vet would be my first try. try renting a room at a motel or something for the night and set them up in there, since you can control the heat in your own room

Hey PM me as your last solution if you cant find any other way to house them.. I would need to clear it with my parents, but depending on how long you would need it at my house for, it could potentially work out. Is your rack moveable? Do the tubs have locking lids so that you can transport the whole system over? I would not feel comfortable holding them without heat for over 16 hours, might not be the best idea for your snakes. Im not making any promises but if you tell me dates and times we can maybe figure something out.

Hey guys,

Thanks for all your support and suggestions! I will try to respond to each one in a few minutes. I am trying to get a hold of local breeders via email to see if they would be willing to hang onto them for a night. Wish me luck! :)