Hurricane Irene and taking care of my bp

[jarobin]

We are trying to prepare for the worst for Hurricane Irene. I'm in NJ and it's supposed to be a Category 2 that is going to hit us. So, in case of an emergency we have decided we will evacuate to a relative's house in PA. But, what to do with Parker? I don't want to just leave him in case the power goes out. What could I do to make sure he stays safe and warm? Should I set up the enclosure somehow and home to ensure that? Or do I need to take him with me, and what would I bring him in that I could keep warm? I just want to make sure we are prepared for anything.

Oh and we live right next to a river, so the area gets flooded pretty easily even when it's just heavy rain. So chances are, even if we don't have to go all the way out to PA we may have to evacuate our home.

[L.West]

If you only have one snake - I would set up a plastic tub with a lid - take him with you.

For minimal expense you can buy a tub, heat mat which should maintain things for a few days for ya.

I definitely would not leave him home unattended.

Hope everything works out for ya.

[Christian Hernandez]

I was wondering the same thing. I'm in jersey too.

[llovelace]

A 15qt sterlite tub, a heat source w/ light dimmer.

[spitzu]

As posted above, just go get a tub from Target and take him with you. You can probably get a cheap heating pad and rheostat from a local pet store.

[llovelace]

When they expected the huuricane to hit us in So Fl, my sigoth was in a panic because he has never been through a hurricane.
I told him that unless it's like a cat 5 hurricane that's going to directly hit where I'm located, we will not be evacuating.

[jarobin]

what kind of heat mat? it would have to be something i don't have to plug in. the uth i have is plugged into the wall and also attached to the bottom of my tank. i don't really have a lot of money to spend on another one right now. this is hitting us at such a bad time. and what kind of tub? just a storage bin of some kind? should i poke holes in the lid?

[mainbutter]

Take him with you if you evacuate.

I always have a tub w/ventilation holes, rheostat, and heat mat available for whatever reason I might need one. I like to transport most snakes in pillowcases with an overhand knot tied at the opening, and then place the snake-in-a-pillowcase in the tub with the top on. This works particularly well on snakes that aren't noodle corn snake hatchling-sized snakes.

[JLC]

I'd make plans to take him with you if at all possible.

Buy a small-ish tub with a lid...just big enough for him to lay curled up in one-half of the tub. It could be bigger, but the smaller it is, the easier it will be to travel with.

-- If you can find one...a human heating pad that does NOT have an automatic shut-off will work for a heat source.
-- If you can't find one, then get a UTH from the pet store that will fit under about half the tub.
-- A dimmer switch for table lamps from the hardware store. (It's like an extension cord with a dimmer switch on it)
-- An indoor/outdoor digital thermometer from the hardware store or walmart.
--A small water dish.
-- Something to make sure the tub lid stays secure...clamps, bungee cords, heavy book, etc.

While away from home, your goal is just to keep the overall temp of the snake's enclosure around 80-85 degrees. Don't worry about warm and cool zones.

For those who have multiple snakes...you can get a bigger tub...one big enough to allow each of them to lay on the floor of the tub curled up, without being on top of each other. Place each snake in individual bags (inside-out pillow cases work fine) and tie securely. Lay them out in the tub...some extra towels on top to fill in the empty spaces so they don't slide around during travel. If you place a heating pad on TOP of the tub, then wrap a blanket around the whole thing, you can create an ambient temp in the low 80's without making a hot spot that just one or two snakes are laying on. They can safely stay like that for 24-48 hours. If you'll be evacuated longer than that, you may have to get creative about bringing multiple small tubs to separate them so they can move around and get a drink.

[JLC]

it would have to be something i don't have to plug in.

Fortunately, it's summer time right now, so you don't have to worry about extreme low temps. If you're worried about a lack of electricity, then just do your best to keep the snake's enclosure away from any drafts and keep it in the warmest area of wherever you are. If you're in a motel room, for instance, then don't use the AC to cool the room drastically. If necessary, you could keep the snake in a room with ambient temps at 75-80 for a few days without great risk.

As for the tub...yes, you'd need to put some holes in it. I use a soldering iron (they can be found very inexpensively in any hardware or hobby section of a store like walmart) to melt holes in the sides. A drill can work, but will often crack the plastic. Just make sure you have plenty of ventilation when working with heat and plastic.