HEAT wave.. Cooling tips?

[Dx916x]

Dealing with a heatwave (up to 111 degrees out) in northern cal and my AC went out so the ambient temperature is going to be around 92-95 indoors for the next few days! What can I do to keep the temps down? I been putting ice packs on the top of the enclosures mesh lid, with a fan blowing across the top of it but not into the enclosure cause im not sure if that would cause health issues or something. ALso can I unplug the heating pad for now, even if he just ate yesterday? Is the ambient temperature good enough to digest food?

[Craiga 01453]

Yes, you can unplug the heat mat. But if it's properly regulated by a thermostat you don't need to.

[Absololol]

Hi - as said above it's always recommended to use a thermostat with any heating device. They can malfunction and reach very high temperatures and you can end up with a burned or even dead animal.
If you use a thermostat the heat source will be able to regulate itself in a heat wave and turn itself off when necessary to remain a safe temperature. I really really do recommend getting one, it will put your mind at ease and be a lot less work since you won't have to change things for winter or summer as long as your probe is correctly placed. But yes you can just unplug it if you need to.

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[bcr229]

With an inside ambient temp at 92-95*F you don't need a heat source. Unplug all pads and lights. Many keepers run a BP room at a constant ambient in the mid-80's.

If the humidity in the house is relatively low you can use evaporative cooling techniques in the tank. Heck you may be able to use them in the house.

Are you at home during the hottest part of the day so you can swap heat packs regularly? Also you may not need a fan, the cooler air should just fall from the packs into the tanks.

How many snakes do you have? Just a few or a room full? If a few can you move them to a friend's house for a few days until your A/C is fixed?

Amazon sells sun and heat blocking window films. Get the kind that is installed on the exterior of the window, not the house interior, so that the sun's energy is completely blocked from entering the house. It will help prevent heat buildup even after you get the A/C fixed and save money on electricity in the future. I put it on the south and west facing windows in my house and it paid for itself in a summer.

[Caitlin]

I am so sorry you are dealing with failed AC and hope it gets fixed soon.

In the meantime, you can freeze plastic bottles of water and put them in the enclosure covered by a sock or light towel. Since you are using a fan for evaporative cooling (good job on that!), you could also soak bricks in water and put one or two in each enclosure.

I'm in the same area and it's going to be really bad for awhile. I'd recommend preparing in advance for what you'd do if the power goes out. Have transport tubs with water bowls and cooling packs ready; try to make arrangements with friends or relatives outside of your immediate area to allow you to stay with them if needed, and/or be ready to get out of town with your animals and check into a hotel for a couple of days if necessary.

[Ookoodoocoo]

I'm in the Bay Area and don't have A/C. My heat lamp is on a theromstat, so it's not going on at all (I have it set to 86 in the center of the tank). Due to the heat, there is no real gradient, but his entire enclosure is in the high 80's. To be honest, i'm not too worried about it. The temps are hot for me, but for him, they are about right. Would be nice if the cooler side could be more cool, but high 80's all over isn't bad for a few days. The humidity is really high today cause it's actually lightly raining. High 70's at 9AM with rain, it's like I live in FL or something. Made his tank rocket up to 85% humidity. I have a small computer fan on one of his side vents that I manually turn on and off to help control humidity... I turned it on for a bit and got it down to about 60% and shut it off.
TBH, i'm more worried about my baby corn snake I got 4 days ago. Seems pretty hot for a tiny baby corn. But he seems to be doing OK. Even having him only 4 days i've been holding him for 5-10 minutes a couple times a day and offered him his first pinky this morning and he ate it. I think he's gonna be a very easy and docile guy already.