Power outages?

[Bri123]

Hello!

It's a pretty crappy day where I am and the power has just gone out. I have 2 ball pythons, both of which I just fed last night. The power company says the power should be back in another hour or so, and I've covered both of their enclosures in blankets in the meantime to keep the heat. I know that my own body heat would probably be best to keep them warm but where they were just fed I don't want to mess with them much. I was just wondering what everyone else does in the event of a poweroutage? I've seen that some keep things like hand warmers on hand which I'll definitely be doing from now on. Just looking for suggestions for both now and future

Thanks in advance!

[Neko_snake]

Since it seems like it's only for 3 or so hours. I'm pretty sure you'll be fine. Remember temperatures aren't always constant in the wild. Blankets should be good. Just resist the urge to keep checking on them. The more you open the enclosure the more heat will come out. They should only cool down to whatever temperature the room is. Basically if it's warm in the room, it should be fine. Not great since they just ate but a couple of hours shouldn't hurt.

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[Serpentes75]

A UPS (Uninterrupted power supply) can be used as a back up. If you get one with a large enough capacity, it can keep your setup on for a while. If the power goes out, the UPS automatically switches its internal battery on to keep whatever devices that are plugged into it running for a bit. Hopefully until the power is restored, depending on how long the power is out.

[Bri123]

Thanks everyone for the quick responses! The power has just come back on so luckily it wasn't out for long (a little under an hour and a half) 😊

[Bogertophis]

Good question & one that comes up every year. An hour or so is no big deal, but certainly it can be a concern when you've just fed them. Yes, in a pinch, say if the power doesn't come back on, cuddling them to your body will keep them warm, though if they're not comfortable with you enough yet, OR you handle them in ways where they're more active or their heads are lower than their body, you're asking for a regurge, so that's best avoided. If you must hold them for body heat, you should be sitting or even laying down with them on top of you (heat rises) with insulation (blanket) on top, & keeping them resting calmly.

This presumably short outage is a good reminder ("wake-up call") for you though, to prepare for a longer winter outage. In that case, there's no good way for them to stay "home" in their usual place. Putting a blanket over their enclosure won't do it when your house is 45*- because snakes can't make their own body heat. There's no way to warm their usual enclosure enough for a serious power outage. (unless your home has a back-up generator or something?)

First question- Do you have a gas powered hot water heater? One of the easiest & cheapest ways for temporary heat is to fill a jar (or jars) of hot water & place them with your snake. You can also have chemical hand-warmer packs, or better yet, the chemical heat packs they sell for shipping snakes by air, on hand. FYI, jars of hot water got me thru a power outage that lasted 4 days for me during a bitter cold ice storm. That time our local power actually took WEEKS to restore power in some areas, because power lines cannot be fixed until roads are cleared of fallen trees that came down with the weight of the ice & also from the force of wind during bad storms, so that power crews can get thru to safely work where they've fallen. It was a miserable 4 days for me, but I was "lucky" to have hot water in an otherwise cold house. Electric kitchen stove & no FA heat- but my snakes had it good, lol! Inside the ice chests they stayed a balmy 76-82*- and that was by changing the water in the jars about every 8-9 hours, with minimal opening of the ice chests for fresh air.

You SHOULD have on hand either an ice chest (large is better & safer) or at least, thick styro-foam boxes (that frozen food is shipped in). Sometimes you can find either one in thrift stores, if your budget is tight. You want to store it clean & ready, as it's no fun in the dark. The main thing is that they insulate- keep in the warmth, & keep out the cold.

Keep a pillowcase or cloth "snake bag" for each snake too, and twist ties & good thick rubber bands to secure* each bag. *I don't like to tie cloth bags- so I use a twist-tie first, to close the 'bag', then fold that part over on itself & secure with that rubber band. I've NEVER had a snake escape this way. Snakes are very safe & comfortable in a cloth bag- that keeps them from escaping the ice chest/styro-box that's keeping in the warmth around them. See? Also make sure they can't contact- & aren't right next to whatever heat source you're using. Those chem-packs can get very hot too- they need to be wrapped, though a snake in a cloth bag already has a little protection.

Snakes do need air, but a slight opening every few hours, plus changing the hot water (if using that method) should be enough, or if using a styro-box, you could poke an air hole in it, or on an ice chest, put a small wad of tape so it doesn't close so tightly. I only used large ice chests, & had 2 or 3 snakes separately bagged in each one. It's important to match sizes, so you don't have a big heavy boa accidentally crushing a small snake in the same ice chest.

BTW, ice chests are also the best way to transport snakes for vet visits or moving, etc. to avoid exposing them to excessive heat or cold. Remember, if your car happens to break down, or you get stuck in traffic behind an accident, your snake can suffer from the temperatures & it's completely preventable this way. BTW, I've also moved by car, halfway across country with my snakes protected this way- all were fine after that, as well as after the ice storm we went thru.

My advice: PLAN for an outage, it costs very little compared to vet bills for a sick snake, & avoids the pain from the loss of your pet.

[Bri123]

Thank you so much for all of the tips and tricks! This definitely was a wakeup call for me! Luckily the power wasn't out for too long, nor was it the dead of winter so I'm glad in that sense it got me thinking about it! I couldn't imagine 4 days with no power in the winter! Definitely gonna get together some kind of power outage plan/pack just incase for next time or a longer power outage! I really appreciate the advice! ❤ Don't want anything to happen to my boys that's for sure!

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[Bogertophis]

I know- no one wants bad things to happen to their pets, but if you don't plan ahead, power outages can be horrible. And excessive heat kills too, if you get stuck while transporting a snake in hot weather, for example. If they're in a well-insulated container, they'll be safe for a long time, & you can do the reverse- put a cold beverage container inside, to keep them cool enough if your car's A/C happens to go out. I used to live in the desert & I used to take my snakes places for programs. I'd rather over-plan & be okay, than not plan & lose my animals.

[Alien]

I just went through 36+ hours of no power. In addition to my 8' enclosure I take care of my 93 year old father with Alzheimer's and Dementia. I have a Wen 2000 watt inverter/generator. They usually run around $500. For 3 days I ran that little generator non stop for 36 hours and it ran the heat, the fridge, and the 2 radiant heat panels in my enclosure. It only used about 1 gallon every 8 hours.

I understand not everyone can have a generator. We as keepers or our reptiles must plan for situations like these and be prepared (whether heat packs, hot water, another location?). Also do you have someone to take care of things should you ever become sick or have to go away in an emergency.

[303_enfield]

If your Stateside an can't use a gen set look at inverters. Cheap ones that work:
Search Results For "Power Inverters" (harborfreight.com)

One deep cell 12v battery plus an inverter can run heat panels for days. Add solar an you charge an heat if the sun is out.

Search Results For "Solar" (harborfreight.com)

Buddy Heaters for propane.

Everything really depends on storage. If you don't have room for tools you need to plan moves for family an animals during emergencies. Pillow cases an coolers work great for smaller snakes. Sleeping bags for the big guys.

There are many prepper forums on the web. Look at some for ideas but many sites are safer to read only.


Planning for disasters will lesson damage in the long run.

With any tool, better to have an not need then need an not have.

Good luck!

[KMG]

I have a whole home generator so I live stress free when it comes to losing power.

I do have a power station I use at the beach and in trips that I'm sure would run a heat mat for a good while. It runs my refrigerated cooler all day just fine. I also have a solar panel to charge it just in case.

Progeny 300W Portable Power Station, 299Wh Regulated DC Power, AC Pass-Through Charging, Wireless Charger, Backup Lithium Battery Pack Solar Generator for Camping CPAP Car RV https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F7XNWW4...ing=UTF8&psc=1