Heating and Husbandry During A Power Outage

[bcr229]

I also have a generator. If I had to all of the snakes would go into one room, some would just be in bags/tubs for the duration, and that room would be heated using an electric heater. The wood stove would heat the rest of the house so it wouldn't freeze up, and the refrigerator/freezers can run off of the generator so I wouldn't lose any f/t rodents or people food.

[Ax01]

thanks all. good tips, good practice.


looks like a generator and space heater are all necessary.


also would it be ok to throw a blanket over a tub or rack for insulation?

[bcr229]

also would it be ok to throw a blanket over a tub or rack for insulation?

I have some open-sided racks downstairs. During the winter the daytime ambient temp drops to 70-72*F so I cover 3 sides with blankets at all times, and I cover the fronts at night since the air temp can go even lower.

Keeping the racks covered won't do much during a power outage. You're better off just heating a small room for all of your snakes rather than trying to run thermostats and heat tape off of a generator. Generator power is pretty "dirty" and a lot of sensitive electronics like digital t-stats won't like it much. A space heater should be fine though.

[aLittleLessButter]

They have solar powered generators. I've not used one before but I imagine they would put out enough energy to power a small space heater for some time and if there is a window in the room that gets good sunlight then it would be easy to keep charged

[bcr229]

They have solar powered generators. I've not used one before but I imagine they would put out enough energy to power a small space heater for some time and if there is a window in the room that gets good sunlight then it would be easy to keep charged

The OP lives in Seattle, WA. It rains. A lot. Not much sunlight, and what little there is has to fight its way through a lot of atmosphere before it hits the ground, unlike areas in the south where it's much more direct (and the heat much more brutal).

An electric space heater typically has two settings: low (800W) and high (1500W).

The cheapest solar panels right now are running $.70/Watt. So that's $560 just in panels if you get the low-end stuff to run a heater on low.

Add batteries because you need to keep that heater running overnight. Oops, now you need more panels to charge the batteries when the sun is shining. You also need a shelf/rack for the batteries.

Add an inverter, cables/wire, connectors, and installation. It all adds up.

OTOH my $500 generator and some extension cords can heat the snake room, keep my refrigerator/freezer cool, charge my cell phone batteries and rechargeable LED lights, and run the blower on my wood stove for heat, or fans to keep air moving in the house to keep it cool.

[aLittleLessButter]

I know friends who use their solar generators to run heaters for their chinchillas during the rainy season in Florida. They had no such issues. This was done with a generator that cost less then $200. A gas powered generator is not practical for everyone, I was merely offing an alternative

[LadyHawk]

I used the hot hand last winter when we lost power for three days in the South Sound area. I wrapped them in paper towels and then put them under another layer. I only had a Leopard Gecko then though, and she didn't try to burrow down to them.
My plan for my BPs and Corns is to stock up on water bottles and heat the water on my camp stoves. I make a lot of candy, so I have plenty of candy thermometers and can get the water to precise temperatures.
For long term outages, I kept a few fish shipping boxes from work, they're styrofoam shipping boxes. I'll cut some air holes, put the water bottles in the bottom and then put the snakes either in bags or kritter keepers on top of the water bottles. I haven't tried it yet, but as long as the water temperature is controlled, it should work, and not burn them. Luckily I didn't lose power this storm, but my lights were flickering for hours.
http://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-1773-5.../dp/B000SP3BIU

[h20hunter]

Man did you miss a crazy one yesterday. I live about 30 minutes north of Seattle and it was crazy. Some folks are still without power. We were moving this weekend and the new house had power and old house didn't. We didn't wait....we did a quick evac of our bp and her entire set up. Thank goodness I have a strong wife as her tank is heavy heavy heavy. Needless to say she got moved, settled in overnight, and ate just fine for us yesterday.

[dylanjwicklund]

ok the HotHands hardwarmers i have says they have an average temp of 135 degrees. they look like these.



so i guess don't use them. would the heat packs used for shipping reptiles work?

also as a last resort - would handling your snake on your body be ok? am i a 98 degree heatmat?

I used these when my power went out 2 days ago for 8 hours I wasn't too worried about my ball pythons but my baby bearded dragon I was worried about and these helped keep him warm

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk

[Ax01]

Depending on how many animals people have, anything from hot water bottle, to heat packs (the ones used for shipping) to generator can be used.

I have a generator for the house and for the incubator and for the snake room I have Buddy Heater http://www.walmart.com/ip/16622306?reviews_limit=7& (there are 2 sizes available and the can be connected to a large propane cylinder)

During power outage the priority is to provide a hot spot but to provide an acceptable ambient temp of 75 or above.

so i'm assuming Buddy Heaters are safe for indoor use? i know, dumb question but i just wanna make sure that me or my snakes won't die. it's already snowed a few times and blackouts are imminent this winter.