100 Degree Ambient Temp? Fatal or not?

[RideRed12]

I managed to forget my space heater on in the snake room this morning before work. My girlfriend checked on them over lunch and said the ceiling read 100 degrees, anyone know what long-term exposure to this kind of heat could do? It was for at least 8 hours, probably more. Any info is appreciated.

[Yggdrasil]

Not sure about your situation, but i can tell you about mine and my snake seems fine.
When I first got him, I didn't know that you needed a thermostat on the uth.
I checked it after 3 days and the temp in the hide was 115. My snake had spend most of 2 days in there and he is ok.
Good luck, i think youll be ok.

[Kaorte]

Its hard to say. I don't think 100* ambient will burn or kill them, but it might stress them out a bit. I'm sure its not always 92* and sunny in a ball pythons natural habitat 24/7. I assume there are temperature spikes now and again. They should be able to handle a temporary increase in temp I would think.

I'm not 100% certain though, this is just my opinion. Would be nice to hear what others think or other experiences with high ambient temps.

[LLLReptile]

They may experience some pretty severe symptoms, such as neurological issues (stargazing, spinning, general weakness), regurgitation in animals that have recently fed, and/or loose stool.

Make sure when you get home they all have access to fresh, cool water, and get temperatures back down to where they should be. Do not dunk them in cold water, or otherwise shock them - just decrease temperatures to a normal range and give them access to water and a cooler area to go.

Only time will tell you how bad the damage ends up being. If you're lucky, the snakes weathered the "hot spell" and are okay. Good luck, let us know how they end up doing.

-Jen

edited to note that 100 degree AMBIENT with all the usual rack/tank heat pads and heat sources on means that the entire area the snake lives in is over 100 degrees, combined with a hot spot that is going to be at least 10 degrees higher than that. Even in the wild during heat waves, they can retreat from the heat into shade or down into burrows where it is cooler. 100 degrees ambient temps for a prolonged period of time is definitely a concern.

[el8ch]

I would suggest you put a thermostat on that space heater of yours to ensure a consistent ambient temp. Johnson Controls and Ranco make models that are good for this use.

You can never be too safe monitoring and controlling artificial heat sources!!

[RideRed12]

Yup, this was ambient temp. I'm assuming there was a 5 degree difference from floor to ceiling so 95 degrees would be more ball park. Any examples would be great.

[AK907]

They may experience some pretty severe symptoms, such as neurological issues (stargazing, spinning, general weakness), regurgitation in animals that have recently fed, and/or loose stool.

This is no joke! I had a thermostat fail once. It wasn't more than a few hours, but it was significant enough that one of our coastal carpets had severe neurological damage to the extent that it had to be put down. She was stargazing, spinning and had absolutely no bearings at all. Very sad to watch.

Good luck!

[dart]

You should be fine. There are a boat load of people that own balls with unregulated UTH's and heat lamps that keep hot spots over 100 all day, every day. Balls are quite sturdy animals and a lot of people tend to freak out when we stress their optimal husbandry.

[Slim]

There are a boat load of people that own balls with unregulated UTH's and heat lamps that keep hot spots over 100 all day, every day.

Sadly, this is true, but NOT a recommended practice

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I would expect possible neurological issues which could be temporary or permanent.