Winter care - Tips and thoughts

[infernalis]

It's that time of year again, The north winds are blowing, the leaves are all but out of the trees, days are shorter and our snakes are behaving strangely.

So I figured we could share our thoughts on how the season changes the way we care for our reptilian friends.

Many homes have forced air heating, you know the kind that blows heated air out of those registers on the floor. The kind that makes your sofa toasty by blowing up under it.

Forced air heating is bad for snakes and wood stoves even worse.

If you burn coal, pellets, oil, wood or propane in anything other than a boiler system, you will have very dry parched air in your home all winter long.

Extra steps to keep humidity levels acceptable may be necessary.

A kettle of water sitting on the stove, set a container of water near the register where your reptiles are located. Mist your enclosures from time to time, or shedding problems may arise.

Whenever you are leaving, don't forget you have reptiles at home, Turning down the thermostat to save energy is not so much an option anymore.

A propane or kerosene heater would be a sensible back up in case of utility failure. (Remember, Ice storms bring down wires a lot)

No power can be a disaster for reptiles in the winter, so get a backup heater and be prepared. (Try showing up at your aunts with buckets of snakes asking for a place to stay while the power is out)

Any other thoughts ??.....

[Zephyr]

We lost power last winter; I think my reptiles actually enjoyed it. It lasted for about 3 days, and the temps in our house (it's older with fair but not excellent insulation) only dropped to about 74.

[Sid]

Good idea to start this thread, Wayne. I keep a kerosene heater on hand and ready to go if absolutely needed. You can never tell whether or not there could be a power outage. If I ever have to use it, I'll keep a door slightly ajar for ventilation.

I also keep stocked well ahead on food items for all the critters. Ice is not a normal probelm here in South Carolina, but you never can tell.

[Garter_Gertie]

OH MY GODS. I never ever THOUGHT about a power outage!

What do I need/need to do in case of one?

Me, the dogs and the cats can snuggle up - I can go to work...

But my sniglette babies!!!!!

[infernalis]

If you have a smaller apartment MK, they sell a small heater that screws onto a BBQ tank and it Kicks out some warmth for about $30

It's commonly found in sporting goods, used by hunters to warm up in a duck blind.

[guidofatherof5]

Be sure you well ventilate the room anytime you use a heater. Electric are safe but fuel burners are a death trap. Carbon Monoxide: Silent, odorless and colorless. No wonder it has the nickname "Silent Killer".

[infernalis]

Great point...

I use electric radiant in the reptile room.

For emergency we have this propane construction heater, I run it in the basement, and it cranks out enough that it passes through the floors and heats the upstairs just fine.

[olive oil]

We don't have central heat. While we are home we run those ceramic oil radiators. Works pretty good-one in each room,but when we are gone we turn them off for safety reasons.
So when we return home we use a propane heater until the house warms up again. We start it and turn it off outside. Is this going to hurt the snakes? Thanks for bringing this up Dekay.

[infernalis]

Down in the south there is only a very few days each year that could be a problem.

A small oil filled radiator in the room with your snakes would be a safe bet.

[olive oil]

But, what about the fumes from the propane?

[Garter_Gertie]

So you mean if the boiler goes out - it did. And the sniglettes were fine. Because if the power goes out I'm not going to have electricity to work the heater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[olive oil]

Oh I had a brain fart, we use Kerosene.

[stitch]

I have a question: What's normal behaviour for a snake in the wintertime? My Steve used to be quite active until very recently, now he just lays around most of the time either in his hide or in the warmer part of the tank. He doesn't even seem interested in climbing his branch anymore... Sometimes he's so still, I have to watch and make sure he's still breathing. :/

[Garter_Gertie]

Stevie-boy's brumating a bit. Slowed down for the winter. Bet he'd not eating like his ol'usual self either, huh?

Normal sniglette stuff. Others will give a more detailed answer.

Oh! Have I welcomed you yet? If not, "WELCOME!"

If I have, "WELCOME!" again! :)

[reptile3]

I am praying that this winter will be like last years... very mild!! here in GA we get ice storms, not much snow.

I have all that I need to keep all my reptiles safe & warm!! I am prepared. Also you can use those survival heat pads
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Y4T29QA4L._SL500_AA280_.jpg

you can get them at home depot, or other hardware stores.

We use our heat when it gets below 50 in the house.. my hubby is a cheap arse. We do use the fireplace alot, that is when all my breathing issues arise too!! yay me!!

Thanks for this post Wayne...

[gregmonsta]

Our living room is the warmest in the house :) ... probably thanks to our snake tanks in part ... in the evening we always move our washing in there from the spare bedroom :D ... nice humidity during the night ... a good emergency thing to have around the house is those handwarming packs that you can get for hillwalking ... a lot of UK stores use them for transporting reptiles ... if your power goes just activate it and pop it in the enclosure (check the temp first and wrap it tight in a pillowcase if needs be) - 24hrs peace of mind :D

[adamanteus]

I have a petrol generator for back-up..... works for me!:D

[infernalis]

I have a petrol generator for back-up..... works for me!:D


Some day I'll have one of those....

We have been looking into Solar and wind as a way to get rid of the grid..

[adamanteus]

My generator will never replace the grid, but it's enough to run the house if we have a power out.

[infernalis]

We have too many power outs here... So a generator would be nice.

If we were to heat with wood (free fuel) and use that to also heat our water, then use a propane stove for cooking, then we could get by just fine with a bank of lead acid batteries and inverters to run the TV and computers.

There is already a great selection of lights that run on 12 volts.

We only use $100 a month in electricity, but over a 5 year span that's six grand to the electric company... do it myself and even if I spend 3K on power equipment, that's another $3K to buy garter snakes with:D

Oh and the savings in heating costs would be around $2000 a year...

[Garter_Gertie]

Hand packs! YES!!!! Why did *I* think about that as I've been talking to a couple this weekend about using them to ship snakes.

Sometimes I just can't see the forest for the trees. (smacking self in forehead)

[infernalis]

With our collection, Heat packs would not really be an option.

MK you have a smaller number to worry about, and Id wager you would find some way to snuggle them singlets warm.

Put them all in pillow cases and wrap up in a comforter if you had to..

[reptile3]

power outage, ummm we use flashlights,fireplace...& good ole candles!! LOL

[guidofatherof5]

Stephanie, Great idea on the hand warmers. I never gave it a thought.

[drache]

If we were to heat with wood (free fuel) and use that to also heat our water, . . .
Wayne - I understand you live in the woods, but I used to heat with wood, and I predict your "free" supply to run out sooner than anticipated, since it's not exactly rapidly renewable - some kind of fast growing cane might be a better supply


Stephanie, Great idea on the hand warmers. I never gave it a thought.
are these the kind of pocket warmers, that one sticks little slow-burning bars into? and if so, I think I've got some and where would I be able to get the bars?

[infernalis]

Wayne - I understand you live in the woods, but I used to heat with wood, and I predict your "free" supply to run out sooner than anticipated, since it's not exactly rapidly renewable - some kind of fast growing cane might be a better supply

Rhea, I can understand that, I sell hardwood logs off my property from time to time. I am also a big fan of "Salvage" wood, Whenever a storm knocks down trees & tops from logging.

Out here in farmerville barter is a way of life, I do IT in exchange for truckloads.

We have fires out back almost nightly in the summer. Heck, I'd wager certain folks would probably unload a pickup full in trade for riding on the track.:D

Well now I'm on a roll...

The valley is situated so that I can get a solar panel in direct sun exposure (maximum output) for nearly 90 percent of the day, On top of my hill, the air-stream moves constantly (you can hear it whistle through the trees sometimes)

So the more my hyperactive brain thinks about it, It seems totally viable to eliminate several utility bills.

Start small, re-invest the saved money into more power.

Another motivating factor, I'd like to spiff up the house, chop off all my land (give the house an acre or two for lawn.) and just sell it outright.

Then put a new house back in the woods at the base of the hill.

The sheer cost of having the electric company run poles and primary lines to the new house is monumental. So spending a few thousand on solar and wind makes more sense.

Then I can get up every morning, walk out on my FRONT porch and see the creek rather than the street:D

[infernalis]

Keep that humidity up folks, winter air dries out the snakes.

[drache]

I have all that I need to keep all my reptiles safe & warm!! I am prepared. Also you can use those survival heat pads
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Y4T29QA4L._SL500_AA280_.jpg

you can get them at home depot, or other hardware stores.
heat packs are not a bad idea, but in a power outage, I'd go for ones that last longer - like the 72hr ones used for shipping cold-blooded critters
Heat packs - 72 hours (http://superiorenterprise.com/product_info.php?products_name=72-hr.-disposable-heat-packs(1-box---30-units)&products_id=337)
Mantis Place - Where Mantis and Bug Supplies Hang Out! - Shipping Supplies (http://www.mantisplace.com/shippingsupplies.html)

[infernalis]

Thanks Rhea, Now that is some information many of us can use.

OK especially me......

[drache]

another tip: space blankets, available at any outdoor or camping supply
a couple of heat packs will go a bit further if you group your enclosures and surround them with space blankets
still I hope I don't ever have to do this
it's good to remember that for most of us power outages are really exceptions rather than the norm

[infernalis]

it's good to remember that for most of us power outages are really exceptions rather than the norm

Unless you live here Rhea, we experience sometimes a dozen a year.

Last year 2 of them came from an intoxicated driver breaking off the SAME pole twice 3 months apart going home from the bar. (He lost his license to drive, so he won't be a problem anymore)

The biggest enemy is Ice and wind, Ice has broken the mains more times than I can count, and wind blows trees over landing them on the wires.

http://justinsomnia.org/gallery/d/2358-2/DCP_3662.jpg

[Snake lover 3-25]

how long does the outage usually last??

[infernalis]

one time, the power was out for 14 hours...

We have a propane heater, it will heat the whole house.

[Snake lover 3-25]

wow that stinks.... ours only goes out for an hour... 2 at most.....

[infernalis]

wow that stinks.... ours only goes out for an hour... 2 at most.....

When some drunken lush breaks the pole off at the ground at 1:00 am, it takes NYSEG several hours just to get out here, and several more hours to install a new pole.

since I am up at all hours, we were watching a good movie at the time (second incident)

Thankfully we were up, I can sleep in a tent outside right now, so we were already up, we got the heater running before the temps dropped too low.

[Stefan-A]

(He lost his license to drive, so he won't be a problem anymore)
If that only kept them from driving..

[infernalis]

Well at least here if he gets stopped again, its a jail sentence.

[drache]

one time, the power was out for 14 hours...

as long as the temps indoors don't drop below 50ºF, I really worry more about the humans than the critters, and if indoor temps drop that fast from your heat being off for a few hours, you seriously need to do something about insulation and draught control
there is no need to keep garters in the 70ºF range (nevermind 80º) during a power outage - I however feel uncomfortable below 68º, and ideally like it at least six degrees higher than that, just because wearing a ton of clothes indoors is cumbersome
even my lizards hail from deserts where a nighttime drop into the 50ies is not unheard off
unless you get one of those prolonged power outages - days or more - I don't consider it a big issue

[infernalis]

Dorothy has arthritis in her spine, if it falls much below 80 in the house, guess who hears all about it:eek:

Thankfully Rhea, you are right, as our was built in 1996, it has state of the art insulation, its more problematic that all appliances including our cooking stove are electric.

[drache]

Dorothy has arthritis in her spine, if it falls much below 80 in the house, guess who hears all about it:eek:

Thankfully Rhea, you are right, as our was built in 1996, it has state of the art insulation, its more problematic that all appliances including our cooking stove are electric.
arthritis sucks; pain can puts a damper on life
our house needs some upgrading in the insulation and draught control department
fortunately our stove, water heater, plus the heater that heats the radiator water - all run on natural gas, which tends to be subject to different kinds of emergencies
I've got great roof exposure for solar and that's in the planning

[infernalis]

arthritis sucks; pain can puts a damper on life

How well I know, I have had to pick her up out of bed and carry her to the living room on more than one occasion.


our house needs some upgrading in the insulation and draught control department, I've got great roof exposure for solar and that's in the planning

Too bad you live so far away Rhea, I'd gladly help out. I like to build, and improve.


fortunately our stove, water heater, plus the heater that heats the radiator water - all run on natural gas, which tends to be subject to different kinds of emergencies

If the proposed pipeline ever gets here, we will one day have that option.:D

[drache]

Too bad you live so far away Rhea, I'd gladly help out. I like to build, and improve.
wish I could find someone around here with a bit of a green bent and the capacity to think out of the box

[brain]

A 5000 watt generator and GenTran box was one of the first things I put in my home when I bought it back in 98. The distribution of power is the propane fireplace, my snake room outlets then the rest of the house. It has only saved me twice in 10 years but what a relief it was. I too have a portable kerosene heater which ahs been put to use.
Best $3,000.00 I ever spent Wayne.