I think my power might go out, what do I do?

[Shadowy]

There are some bad storms in my area lasting all weekend and multiple people near me have lost power. I’m lucky I’m not one of them. But I’m worried. I have one snake in my room, the other is a quarantine since I just got him 2 weeks ago. So I know pillow cases and cuddling them under a blanket is good to keep them warm, but with one in quarantine I can only cuddle one at a time. Should I risk it and cuddle them both or would one be good in the cooler air for a little while? I’m hoping I get lucky and I don’t lose power but I want to be prepared.

[Moose84]

Unless you are living in Antarctica I think you will be just fine. Power goes out for a few hours or so no big deal. I have had snakes shipped to me without heat that are totally fine. If I were you I’d grab a drink and relax. Those snakes will be just fine.

[Bogertophis]

IMO, all snake keepers should keep the following supplies on hand for this type of emergency, so that your snakes survive & stay healthy:

ice chest (s) or styro-foam shipping box (es): so that all your snakes, when bagged individually, fit comfortably without crowding or over-lap. (In a severe
ice storm, my power was out for 4 days, & all my snakes stayed safe; similar sizes were bagged & shared multiple ice chests, 2 or 3 per container.) You want
the best insulated containers with plenty of air that you can (depending on the sizes & number of your snakes) to protect them from temp. extremes. The same
things are also the best way to transport snakes when moving or when taking them to the vet...to protect not only from cold but from excessive heat in vehicles.

Pillow cases* or "snake bags": nice to have extras that you don't use for your own bed (snakes may defecate!)...thrift stores are a great (inexpensive) source.

Wire twist-ties (sturdy ones) and rubber bands: unless you enjoy tying & trying to un-tie cloth bags? With snake in the bag, use twist-tie to secure, then
loop that part over on itself & wrap securely with rubber band. Never had a snake escape this, & much easier than tying cloth bags. Make sure no holes in bags!

Clean large jars (if you have a gas water heater) OR chemical heat packs (used for shipping reptiles, or hand-warmers used by hunters...do be careful, some
of these get very hot & must be wrapped to keep them from touching snakes, even in bags.) What I used was jars of hot water, that I re-filled about every
8-9 hours (since I have a gas hot water heater that worked thru the power outage); the ice chests stayed balmy-warm until I changed the water again.

And for yourself: I love LED lanterns & plenty of flashlights. Hope you stay powered up, but you're right to think/plan ahead.

[Sonny1318]

Very well covered by Bogertophis!!!

[bcr229]

This time of year I'd be more worried about keeping frozen feeders frozen instead of my snakes warm, or keeping my BRB's under 85*F if we had a heat wave.

[JRLongton]

I bought a few of those reptile shipping boxes and a ton of the reptile shipping heat packs.

I've never needed to do it, but if I lost power in colder months, the whole crew would get bagged and boxed just like they were being taken to the FedEx hub.

If it works to ship an animal across the country, it'll work for a hours or even a day. Probably even longer if you keep a close eye.

But once I get more snakes, I'm buying an inverter generator.