Heaters for blackouts

[Ddurr92]

So we have plenty of snakes and other reptiles. Last year our power went out for a couple hours. What do you guys do in case if power outages for heat

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[Bogertophis]

We've actually talked about this before, multiple times, though I know it's hard to find things-

Here's one such thread: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...emergency+heat

Here's another: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...emergency+heat

Yet another: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...f-Emergencies) ETC.

The trouble with power outages is that sometimes they go on for much longer than anticipated, so it's better to assume the worst right from the start, & keep your animals safe. Don't wait until it's cold- & I hope you have plenty of emergency light also.

It's pointless to try to leave snakes in their usual enclosures, because the heat dissipates quickly. My method is to bag 'em securely, then put them in insulated "ice chests" (no ice, obviously) or styro-foam food-shipping boxes- as many as it takes so they're not over-crowded or sheltering with incompatible species. Be careful not to put small ones with much larger ones, as the small ones can be crushed when snakes move around some within their cloth bags. And obviously don't put king snakes (or other ophiophagus species) in with others they'll try to eat thru the bag...

Once all are bagged & in insulated chests (NOT overlapping or too crowded), use chemical heat packs (carefully! Use as directed for shipping reptiles) or jars of hot tap water- but not boiling! (this works better than you'd think) to keep them warm. A really big ice chest might need 2 jars, while a smaller one will only need one. Obviously, if you have an electric water heater, you won't have hot tap water for long- only if your water heater is gas- so if you don't know what you have, it's a good time to find out.

After a while, check temps. & allow for a wee bit of air circulation- either with periodic opening (at least every 7-8 hours), poking a hole in the styro-foam, or putting a bit of tape in the opening so the lid doesn't close too tightly. When I had to do this for DAYS during an ice storm power outage, I was SO glad to have a gas hot water heater- about every 8 hours I changed out the jars of cooled water for hot, which also ventilated them at the same time. It surprised me to see how comfortable they stayed in the ice chests, heated only by jars of hot water. It pays to have good quality ice chests on hand. Ice storms are miserable, but we all got thru it- none of my snakes got sick, & they all seemed to take it pretty much in stride.

BTW, not everyone was so lucky in that ice storm- I heard about others with large reptile collections that were unprepared & they lost many or most of their animals.

Of course, if you only have one snake, just put 'em in your shirt & "be the heat source".

If you're a homeowner, & have plenty of funds, get a home generator installed.

[Zincubus]

We've actually talked about this before, multiple times, though I know it's hard to find things-

Here's one such thread: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...emergency+heat

Here's another: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...emergency+heat

Yet another: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...f-Emergencies) ETC.

The trouble with power outages is that sometimes they go on for much longer than anticipated, so it's better to assume the worst right from the start, & keep your animals safe. Don't wait until it's cold- & I hope you have plenty of emergency light also.

It's pointless to try to leave snakes in their usual enclosures, because the heat dissipates quickly. My method is to bag 'em securely, then put them in insulated "ice chests" (no ice, obviously) or styro-foam food-shipping boxes- as many as it takes so they're not over-crowded or sheltering with incompatible species. Be careful not to put small ones with much larger ones, as the small ones can be crushed when snakes move around some within their cloth bags. And obviously don't put king snakes (or other ophiophagus species) in with others they'll try to eat thru the bag...

Once all are bagged & in insulated chests (NOT overlapping or too crowded), use chemical heat packs (carefully! Use as directed for shipping reptiles) or jars of hot tap water- but not boiling! (this works better than you'd think) to keep them warm. A really big ice chest might need 2 jars, while a smaller one will only need one. Obviously, if you have an electric water heater, you won't have hot tap water for long- only if your water heater is gas- so if you don't know what you have, it's a good time to find out.

After a while, check temps. & allow for a wee bit of air circulation- either with periodic opening (at least every 7-8 hours), poking a hole in the styro-foam, or putting a bit of tape in the opening so the lid doesn't close too tightly. When I had to do this for DAYS during an ice storm power outage, I was SO glad to have a gas hot water heater- about every 8 hours I changed out the jars of cooled water for hot, which also ventilated them at the same time. It surprised me to see how comfortable they stayed in the ice chests, heated only by jars of hot water. It pays to have good quality ice chests on hand. Ice storms are miserable, but we all got thru it- none of my snakes got sick, & they all seemed to take it pretty much in stride.

BTW, not everyone was so lucky in that ice storm- I heard about others with large reptile collections that were unprepared & they lost many or most of their animals.

Of course, if you only have one snake, just put 'em in your shirt & "be the heat source".

If you're a homeowner, & have plenty of funds, get a home generator installed.

Excellent !!


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