Tragic day for my snakes.

[mamaodie]

I'm still new to the hobby so I unfortunately have no words of advice on the matter, but I wanted to say that I am terribly sorry for your loss. I too would be absolutely devastated if something happened to my little babies. Best of luck from here out and I hope so much you find peace.

[cchardwick]

I actually switched from the cheap Jumpstarts to the VE-300 and tried to control my whole rack with it. I also added separate temp alarms to each level, but I found that no matter what I did I couldn't get the VE-300 to get consistent temps from the top to the bottom of my rack, the temps were really different from level to level (as much as 10 degrees), that's why I switched to the dual Herpstat 4 setup.

I also added the temp probes with the Jumpstart, with that cheap thermostat I found that the difference between the high and low temps were as much as 10 degrees. With the more expensive Herpstats and the VE-300 the difference is only a few degrees. I also like that I can put different types of snakes in each level and control them separately now, so if I decide to breed just a few snakes I can totally control that level separate from the rest.

I've read a lot of horror stories similar to this one and it scares the heck out of me, especially since I have so much invested in my snake collection (probably about $30,000).

[tcutting]

So being as how this is been heavy on my mind and within 24 hours of finding out about it, what helps me deal with such things is trying to problem solve it. My biggest issues with any of the main stream systems such as vivarium, is they lack notifications and require hands on site to check them for either warmth or if they are off.

From the info i gathered thus far about a raspberry pi and some crafty wire work, this can be done fairly easily. I can make my own quality thermostat, WITH automation updates, logging and web front end to manage all of my animals. I have found electronic circuit relays and temp probes that should work perfectly for this. so my next part is physical fail safes, like fuses, and then the code to run it all, with logic based fail safes. basically, if any part of my rack detects 5% or more over heat to shutdown and text me.

[Craiga 01453]

First off, I'm so sorry for your loss. My heart hurts for you, and I know what you mean about others not getting it.
Second, if you're successful with this t-stat construction you're talking about, you may be on to something.
I like your attitude, looking to create a positive out of a negative situation. Good luck, man!

[ballpythonluvr]

I am truly sorry for your loss. A lot of people would say it was just a snake but to us it is more then that, it is a life and a pet. I hope you are able to peace soon.

[L.West]

So sorry to hear about your loss - that is terrible.

I have heard of this happening so I recently bought backup thermostats for my setups. I run a VE300 and back it up with the cheaper VE100. Maybe not fool safe but at least I have some comfort knowing I am doing all I can for my babies.

Hugs go out to you. Keep the faith.

[piedlover79]

I"m so sorry about your loss! It prompted me to replace my Jumpstarts...I've got two Herpstats one the way.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

It's tragic and I am sorry you have to go through that, for years I have warned people about those thermostats and their tendency to fail and when doing so failing wide open. You were lucky to get 5 years out of it way back when I used those (not for snakes) they would fail after a year or two.

I was using https://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Reptile...ank+thermostat which did a wonderful job for 5 years. until it didnt. I just check to verify what the failure was, it runs the heat no matter what, and turns the led indicator off once it reaches the set temp. there simply was no way for me to know beyond checking the obvious.

[tcutting]

I have a direct replacement of what I had coming to get me through for the next few days. But I am ordering the raspberry pi now and relay system to begin developing a better solution now.

I wish i had done this years earlier. Those two specific snakes were really special to me. They were the ones that were my go to for my daughters friends to be introduced into snakes. They were also among my most colorful and since they each were parents to a clutch, it was nice when i would show pics of eggs or bring out a baby snake.

[tcutting]

and thank you everyone for your support. It means a lot. again most people think im crazy for having snakes, even more so for being upset when they pass. I do have one hold back from the Male Caramel albino from last year to keep his legacy alive, and he was paired up this season for a few months as well. I hope that the female he was paired with lays another clutch of eggs from him. would be nice to still be able to carry on the caramel glow project I was working on. but without him, or a male to come from his pairing this year, it may be lost. Not sure I would really want to continue the project if it doesnt pan out with another clutch of double hets this year.