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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran plateOfFlan's Avatar
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    keeping temperate reptiles cool in heat wave?

    I've been eyeing a Chinese cave gecko (Goniurosaurus hainanensis) for awhile, but there's one thing they need that I am not sure how to provide - from what I've read they're a cold-climate species and being exposed to temps over 80F can be life-threatening for them. We recently had a weird heat wave here and my apartment doesn't have AC, so it was around 83-85F indoors for a few days. Even the snakes didn't seem to like it, they both went to their cool sides and acted cranky. For reptiles that need cool temps, how do you manage this? Place the enclosure on the floor and point a fan at it? Do you offer something like a granite tile they can lay on to cool off? I'd rather be prepared for this type of thing before getting a gecko so that I know I can manage them if it happens again.

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    BPnet Veteran Homebody's Avatar
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    Re: keeping temperate reptiles cool in heat wave?

    Quote Originally Posted by plateOfFlan View Post
    I've been eyeing a Chinese cave gecko (Goniurosaurus hainanensis) for awhile, but there's one thing they need that I am not sure how to provide - from what I've read they're a cold-climate species and being exposed to temps over 80F can be life-threatening for them. We recently had a weird heat wave here and my apartment doesn't have AC, so it was around 83-85F indoors for a few days. Even the snakes didn't seem to like it, they both went to their cool sides and acted cranky. For reptiles that need cool temps, how do you manage this? Place the enclosure on the floor and point a fan at it? Do you offer something like a granite tile they can lay on to cool off? I'd rather be prepared for this type of thing before getting a gecko so that I know I can manage them if it happens again.
    During a recent heat wave, I started putting half gallon ice blocks in the enclosure. It worked great, but I keep a Children's python and they tolerate a wide range of temperatures.
    1.0 Normal Children's Python (2022 - present)
    1.0 Normal Ball Python (2019 - 2021)

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  4. #3
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    Re: keeping temperate reptiles cool in heat wave?

    Quote Originally Posted by plateOfFlan View Post
    I've been eyeing a Chinese cave gecko (Goniurosaurus hainanensis) for awhile, but there's one thing they need that I am not sure how to provide - from what I've read they're a cold-climate species and being exposed to temps over 80F can be life-threatening for them. We recently had a weird heat wave here and my apartment doesn't have AC, so it was around 83-85F indoors for a few days. Even the snakes didn't seem to like it, they both went to their cool sides and acted cranky. For reptiles that need cool temps, how do you manage this? Place the enclosure on the floor and point a fan at it? Do you offer something like a granite tile they can lay on to cool off? I'd rather be prepared for this type of thing before getting a gecko so that I know I can manage them if it happens again.
    Personally, I'd avoid keeping a species that might suffer & even die from such a small temperature fluctuation that's likely to happen sooner or later- because what if you're not at home to address it right away? Years ago, I was similarly tempted by a Moellendorf's rat snake (another cool-loving species) & I think I made the right choice when I decided that the animal's welfare came first, and I didn't get one. (Their temperature range is roughly 64* to 77* max.)

    As far as ways to keep a pet cooler, yes- you can use a frozen water bottle (or something similar), but that's messy (the container will sweat & dampen the cage, & melt pretty fast 24/7 hours).

    By the way, when you noticed your snakes seemed uncomfortable- I'd have turned off their heat for a few days. Putting the enclosure on the floor won't lower the temperature much- especially if you're not on a first floor apartment, since heat rises & upper floors are always warmer.

    A fan will NOT lower the temperature of a reptile- the reason moving air makes us feel cooler is because we sweat & the moving air cools us by evaporating our moisture. That's the way a "swamp cooler" works- but remember they only work when it's not humid- that's why they're used in the desert, but not in states with more humidity.

    A rock or tile only "feels" cooler- it's not, unless it's been in the refrigerator. Like I said, I would stick with keeping animals that you can manage with your real conditions- heat waves or power outages are not going to disappear- what then? If your power goes out, you'll need to keep your fridge closed, so getting ice could make your food spoil sooner...just think ahead, how you'd feel?
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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    Re: keeping temperate reptiles cool in heat wave?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    Putting the enclosure on the floor won't lower the temperature much- especially if you're not on a first floor apartment, since heat rises & upper floors are always warmer.

    A fan will NOT lower the temperature of a reptile- the reason moving air makes us feel cooler is because we sweat & the moving air cools us by evaporating our moisture. That's the way a "swamp cooler" works- but remember they only work when it's not humid- that's why they're used in the desert, but not in states with more humidity.

    A rock or tile only "feels" cooler- it's not, unless it's been in the refrigerator. Like I said, I would stick with keeping animals that you can manage with your real conditions- heat waves or power outages are not going to disappear- what then? If your power goes out, you'll need to keep your fridge closed, so getting ice could make your food spoil sooner...just think ahead, how you'd feel?
    These are all good things to know - it seems much easier to warm up a cool room/animal in a power outage than to cool off a hot one. And yeah, this is why I figured I'd ask, to see if it was even doable - if I can't keep them safely I'll just have to knock them off the list for now. When I saw their range was 65-75F it sounds easy because you think "oh that's just room temp, great!" But since they can't go far out of that at all, I'm starting to see why they're not very commonly kept.

    As for the BPs, if the heat wave had gone on for more than 2 days I was going to switch off their heat, but luckily it ended, and we got decent temperature drops at night. I left them alone for a few days afterwards to get over it, no feeding or handling, and they seem ok now. But I was thinking to myself "if I'd gotten that gecko after all it'd be dead or in bad shape now" so I was curious if there was some tool or setup or something I didn't know about.

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    Re: keeping temperate reptiles cool in heat wave?

    Quote Originally Posted by plateOfFlan View Post
    These are all good things to know - it seems much easier to warm up a cool room/animal in a power outage than to cool off a hot one. And yeah, this is why I figured I'd ask, to see if it was even doable - if I can't keep them safely I'll just have to knock them off the list for now. When I saw their range was 65-75F it sounds easy because you think "oh that's just room temp, great!" But since they can't go far out of that at all, I'm starting to see why they're not very commonly kept.

    As for the BPs, if the heat wave had gone on for more than 2 days I was going to switch off their heat, but luckily it ended, and we got decent temperature drops at night. I left them alone for a few days afterwards to get over it, no feeding or handling, and they seem ok now. But I was thinking to myself "if I'd gotten that gecko after all it'd be dead or in bad shape now" so I was curious if there was some tool or setup or something I didn't know about.

    One thing to remember, for either excessive heat OR cold, is that you have a better chance of maintaining the temps. required if you put the animal into an insulated "ice chest" (or thick styro-foam box, the kind food is shipped in), thereby minimizing the amount of air & insulating what there is. (you'll need to ventilate just a wee bit also- either with a hole or opening it up periodically). I've been thru a 4 day power outage in an ice storm- put all my snakes into cloth bags (pillow cases), then into ice chests, with jars of hot water to keep them comfy, & even though my house got down to 45*, I only had to change the water in the jars every 8-9 hours. (thanks to a gas hot water heater, I had hot water)

    So that works either way- jars of ice/water would keep them cool, but if the power goes off, where do you get the ice? So I just wouldn't do it- staying warm is a challenge, but staying cool enough might be worse. Sorry- unless you have a home with a generator? BTW, in that ice storm I described- it affected a wide area & I later found out that some people that had large collections of snakes lost many or all their animals as a result. Totally heart-breaking- & it's why I suggest that everyone keeping herps keeps ice chests & cloth bags & other prep (chemical heat packs?) for such emergencies. Heat waves with no A/C is bad enough, but if the power grid fails too, it's a real mess that can turn deadly.

    If anyone has ideas for that situation, I'd love to know more about them too. Basements & crawl spaces under houses stay cooler, but in an apartment, you're out of luck.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 09-13-2022 at 07:59 PM.
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    Your options for cooling are based on several factors, including whether or not you are home during the hottest part of the day, and whether you need to cool one critter/enclosure versus a whole reptile room.

    If you're home when it's hot and there's only one critter then it's easier. A small battery-powered or USB fan set up to blow air over a cold pack from the freezer can push cooled air into an enclosure. You can also mist the enclosure with cold water during the hottest part of the day, or replace the water in the bowl with cold water. You should closely monitor the enclosure to ensure you're not cooling it too much.

    If you have a lot of critters then there are portable air conditioners available. They sit on the floor and you run the exhaust hose out a window (stuff the rest of the window opening with a towel or blanket). We have one for the shop and used it when one of our central AC units failed, and it cooled about 800 square feet of space by 10*F compared to outside. You also have to empty the drip tray since it also dehumidifies. They cost a bit so it would probably be overkill for one room/critter.

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