IMPORTANT: What would you do in a snowstorm?!

Snowstorms, wind storms, tornados, thunderstorms... there is always a possibility of a power-outage in your area. MEANING... every single reptile-owner needs a power-out plan!!!!!! I am such a hypocrit. :P

Tell us about your plan if the power goes out. How will you keep your reptile warm? If the power doesn't go back on for a long time, what will you feed your reptile?

My plan (yet to be put into action): I will keep a store of frozen rats (although she refuses them, she might not if she's starving) and hand-warmers for my Ball Python. I don't have a Beardie yet, but when I do, I will also keep hand-warmers and a store of food pellets and freeze-dried crickets. It isn't perfected, but it will keep them alive.

Reptiles die all the time in snowstorms when their owner isn't prepared to keep them warm and fed. Make your plan now!!!

i have a generator...... and my snakes all eat f/t..... so i win.

Living in Minnesota, I've often wondered what I'd do.. Luckily I'm in Minneapolis and cities are more storm-proof than rural areas, at least for power outages. Of course if we have a tornado hit the city, or some day-after-tomorrow sized storm.. I don't know for sure. At that point I might have enough trouble trying to keep myself alive.

If the roads were cleared but power still out, I'd drive out to somewhere that did have power.

I'll have enough CGD for my cresties, and I always keep at least 4 feeders for my snake in the freezer.

i would probally stay in the house lol

really actually this house is setup alot better for this situation than the last one! we now have hot water heat and a fireplace, but we also have a generator.

the last house had forced air heat and i had a generator but we dont loose power much at either house.


typically big cities are not less prone to power outtages! look at cali and chicago they constantly have outtages alot of times they are brownouts but even then you wont have any juice

I'm lucky enough to live in Florida.

Well, if there was an actual snowstorm here, then it probably would be a day-after-tomorrow sort of event...

But if we're just talking a big hurricane-esque storm in winter that knocks the power out, my first action would be to move the rack into my closet. My closet is the only room in the house besides my brother's (tiny) closet and my parent's (overcrowded) closet not to have a window.

Then I'd help my dad hook up the generator and run out to buy chemical hand/foot warmers in bulk, or raid my dad's supply of them (him being a hunter and all).

Food would remain in easy supply so long as we're not talking day-after-tomorrow esque storm, and then it would just be a matter of grabbing a couple live male rats and putting them in with my females, and having plenty to feed the rats.

Luckily, even if we don't have enough power to power all my heating elements in the rack, I can just use a space heater set on low; it would be more than sufficient to heat my closet to tolerable and even comfortable levels for the snakes while possibly using less electricity.

Good thread! I think this is something that we as pet owners need to think about.

I keep a stockpile of handwarmers for power outages.
I'd cover the enclosures with insulated blankets and use the handwarmers as needed.

I don't recommend worrying about food for snakes in that situation.
Feeding with inadequate heating for digestion will be much more harmful to your snake than a month without food. Don't risk a regurge! Just wait out the power outage and concentrate on preventing hypothermia.

lucky me where I am at in california it is still in the 70's:gj:
Would be scary to think that if someones power goes out that their snkaes might die.

my fish would die

but my snakes won't - even if I have to take them to a hotel :)

During Ike we were without power for 15 days. I ran a small space heater off of a generator into the snake room... (I checked the temp in there 7-8 times a day to tweak it up or down even though it was "set" on a temp)...and we ran another two 2 fans for the cresties in our bedroom. As for feeding the snakes, after we had power restored I gave them all another week to stabilize. I normally feed every week, and might have gone a different route if I had some who's weights I was concerned about. Luckily, *knock on wood* I have a collection of porkers. When I fed... EVERY snake ate... Out of 30ish animals there are always 1 or 2 that don't feed, but no one refused a feed after 3 weeks. I think it depends on the animal. I didn't even notice a visual change on anyone, even the smaller snakes. 3 weeks feels like forever when you have no power after a storm, but it's really not that long for a plump snake to go without eating. They will refuse that long, sometimes much-much longer on their own. It just didn't seem safe to feed with the temp fluxing off of the space heater, and the gas shortage we had. My luck, I would have fed, and then not have been able to get gas for the generator.
Just my coin on the matter!

I keep hand warmers of different hour lengths in the first aid for the snakes.
We also keep a solar panel running, a deep cell battery charged, and inverter, dedicated for the snake cages and racks.

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Originally Posted by starmom

I keep hand warmers of different hour lengths in the first aid for the snakes.
We also keep a solar panel running, a deep cell battery charged, and inverter, dedicated for the snake cages and racks.

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Wow ^^^^ now thats dedication there Starmom!

I've thought a lot about that since this will be my first winter with snakes, I live in NH which is notorious for losing power 7-8 times a month during the winter (yes it REALLY does happen just not usually for long periods). I'd actually be more worried about the f/t that I have in the freezer going bad but they are out in the garage so they'd probably be fine. I would not feed during that time but I would have to dig out our old kerosene space heater to keep the snake room warm (I have an electric one but we don't have a genny so it wouldn't really work that well lol). I'm sure the colubrids would be fine but I'd be checking on the balls hourly.

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Originally Posted by anendeloflorien

Wow ^^^^ now thats dedication there Starmom! ...

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:oops: Yeah, I know-- but we're totally off the grid at the ranch and so we have these things....

We have a wood burning stove, and a ton of firewood. So I am not too worried about heat.

However we haven't lost power for more than a couple hours in almost 12 years. Last years winter we got 140 something inches of snow, and some really heavy snow storms but not too many power outages.

In 1996 we had the Ice storm and everything was under ice, we lost power for 7 days and my mom had to take her birds to a really trusted petstore that has a generator and offered to keep them at no charge until the power was back on.

My plan is to keep living in the south.

I have a natural gas fireplace that keeps things toasty when the power is off, a computer ups power backup for the snake racks/incubator and a rodent colony so I don't have to worry about food.

I live in Nebraska and we lose power all the time. If it rains we lose power. If it snows we lose power. If its sunny we lose power. My neighborhood is new and as cheaply built as the come. (Celebrity Homes).
I have a fireplace in my basement where all my geckos,snakes,tortoises,turtles,bearded dragons are. And i also use 3 karoseen heaters which heats the entire house. With karoseen heaters you need to crack windows and have good airflow or everything will die from the exhaust.

Can you use those heat packs that are used when shipping snakes in an enclosure to keep, say a snake warm during a power out?, may be wrapped in some newspaper

if the heat only goes out for a short time, it would take a few hours for the upstairs to cool down but i have a couple space heaters I can use just to be safe. and we do use them, the land lord is too cheap to replace the bunk one in the cellar. but he's the one who pays the repairs several times a winter LITERALLY lol so it's not outta my pocket.

I remember in either 2004 or 2005 the furnace man was here 2x on xmas eve, he was NOT happy, but he had to come as it was getting smokey in here. thats the only time there's been smoke thank god! Usually it gets gunked up or a part goes on it and just kicks off and wont restart.

but if i lost power for more than a couple hours, i'd take my pets to a friends or relatives house and wait it out, one who would be on a different power grid of course.

Living here in VT, it would be a good idea for us to get a small/cheap genny.

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Originally Posted by ncbloods

My plan is to keep living in the south.

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yeah im with that plan. don't think ill have to worry about this anytime soon but good to see this just incase i have to move northward!

What about Propane heaters? Here are the specs on one its designed to use indoor.

Heats up to 200 sq. ft.
Variable settings: 4-9,000 BTUs output
Operates 3-6 hours on 1 lb. cylinder
Compatible with 1 lb. and 20 lb. cylinders
Piezo ignition
Designed and approved for emergency indoor use
Connects directly to 20 lb. cylinder with optional hose
Automatic low oxygen shutoff system
Accidental tip-over safety shutoff
Extended Protection Plans are available for an additional charge

I have been thinking about this cause last year here in Kansas we got hit by an ICE Storm and my hometown was without power for 13 days. Where I lived in Topeka we lost power for 4 days but was lucky we had a wood stove. I live in an apartment now so I dont have that option. I would really hate to lose all 5 snakes exspecially since I will be buying 4 normal females weighing around 2000+ grams and a 08 male bumble bee. That would be alot of money lost.

I live in WI, and have yet to have a power failure.
BUT I am lucky that we have a gas stove and a gas powered central heating and a/c.
I would have to move them into the kitchen if need be by the stove.
I feed live and breed my own so I would probably if need be, feed off all my breeders and feeders.

Carol

i have a fire place and a generator, i live in a rural area in ohio and seems the county hasnt upgraded the lines in a few decades causing the street i live on to lose power very often lol. i lose power maybe 12 to 15 times a winter even if there is no type of storms for some reason. there will be people all around me with power but some how i am on a seperate grid than they are so when i lose power they still have it in places around me. i use a north star 10,000 watt generator just for my snakes and refrigerator and satelite.

Living in sunny South Florida where 70 degree temps equal winter for us I don't think I would have any problems with my snakes freezing but just in case I have a very large generator with a 150 gallon gas tank that I purchased when I kept reef aquariums. As for feeding snakes can go for months without food so that doesn't worry me either.

we use a large vent-free propane heater here, with little electric heaters for the bed/baths. I thought, oh, I'm okay, bring everyone in here, like we do with the humans. But I am planning to get 4-5 new babies in Jan. I would have to break quarantine if our power went out. hmmmm...... need plan. Good thread.

I have a generator,and my snakes feed live so I dont have to worry about my f/t going bad:D

Speaking as a Canadian....Pray