# extreme heat prep



## spigotbush (Feb 8, 2019)

i know for some folks they dont worry about it, but i am sorting out some tubs to give the snakes some respite. with proposed temps of 30c-40c being thrown about by the met office i decided to try and get ahead of that. i have got a load of water bottles ready for the freezer for the dogs and ferrets (though the ferrets are already using them), the fish already have the heater off too. the snakes pose a bit more of an issue though. my vivs have a lot of ventilation so they can take a fair amount, and once the ambient heat sits at 26c or higher i switch everything off regardless. 
but that wont help with the expected temps. so i have knocked up some cool hides. not the prettiest things, though if they work out well then i may try and make better use of them. i had a couple of polystyrene boxes from frozen food orders so i figured they would be a good call. so i made up a divider from a plastic barrel i had around, drilled a load of holes in there and cut a hole in one end. that way i can wrap an ice pack, cold water bottle in a towel and put it in one side where the snakes cant get at it but it will cool the hide down. the idea being that wild snakes would find a burrow in high temps, which obviously i cant provide in a viv. so if i can use these to simulate that then they can have the option to retreat.
























i did a test run today and it was keeping it around 17-18c in there when the room was 24c. that was with an ice pack in a single tea towel. so there are alternatives that can keep the temps higher. i dont want to be risking it being too cold so i will be monitoring closely and have alternative stuff on hand. i would like to keep it at around 23-25c when its seriously hot so its not night temps but a comfortable escape.

i have used wrapped ice packs in heatwaves before and found the snakes made use of them. i expect these heat events to just get more common so if these work well then it will be nice to have at the ready. i know i am a worrier with these things so if i can use things like these to give them the option it goes a long way to easing my mind. if i had a really good deep soil base or a properly dug outdoor enclosure that could support a proper burrow i wouldnt worry at all but for the moment this seems like the next best thing.


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

Nice idea, but unwarranted IMO opinion. In recent days it's been 29c in the lounge where most of my snakes are kept. All be one are tropical species (Boa and Royals) and none have been affected by the higher than average ambient temperatures other than the Bairds Rat snake who simply went for a soak in her water bowel for half an hour. All I do in these extremes is to change the water twice a day, especially in vivs heated by CHE's so that there is always a cooler location for them to cool off by bowl wrapping is they so wish, or in the case of the bairds that can fit in her water bowel, soak in it.

The only issue I see is that you have no way to regulate the temperature, and if its 34-36c as predicted and you have 16-18c at the other end you might have too much of a gradient, and even thermal shock if the snake manages to make contact directly with the ice pack. But if using ice packs or similar in a tub works for you then by all means carry on.


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## Moyzie (7 mo ago)

How to keep snakes cool in heat wave


I'm starting this as a separate thread in hopes that the moderators will choose to make it a sticky, because, manifestly keeping snakes in the Islands of Wet, Cool and No Air Conditioning can become a serious challenge to some of us on those rare occasions when the temperatures do go up; and...




www.reptileforums.co.uk


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## spigotbush (Feb 8, 2019)

i wouldnt have it at that sharp a drop. if the ice pack has it too low then i would switch it for a cold water bottle instead. i know what you mean though, it would be easy to create a problem if its not monitored. luckily i am at home so i have the time to keep close tabs on it and make sure its not too low. i would never allow them to directly contact something that cold, as you say, shock can become a factor. thats why the baffle is in there, the air can move through it but keeps some separation. plus the things would be wrapped up too. the boxes are quite big so they wouldnt be crammed up against the packs. if anything looks off then i will remove the box or switch to an alternative cooling source immediately, and i will be watching closely.
i wouldnt expect it to be able to hold 16-18c when the ambient temp is mid 30's but too much of a gap would still be damaging. i would certainly try to keep it around the 25c mark. they wont be trapped in by decor or anything so it wont be any bother to switch/remove whats in there.

the only snake i have seen in their bowl was my russian rat snake, and that was in brumation at 7c. when its hot he just hides, and when i have set up a cool pack on the roof (mostly mesh) so that the cool air drops in he would move over towards that. when i sat a pack on top of a hide he sought that out too. its him that i am most concerned about as they like it cooler in general. the corn snake would be happier about the whole thing but when i have offered him a cool area during heatwaves he has made use of them. the goal is to simulate a burrow and accommodate their natural desire to hide from the heat. if this works out then its something i would like to incorporate into vivs in future. 

i'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, i just figured its something that a lot of us would have around so if it works out then it could be nice and convenient. i have tried fans and things like that but they never seem to do much other than to circulate hot air. spraying seems to accomplish little more than cranking the humidity to mad levels. they never seem to go for the water bowls either. i just think it would be a good fit for my animals habits.


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## QWERTYOP (Apr 5, 2021)

Something I’m definitely going to keep an eye on, but I’m not overly worried. My Cali King would see this kind of temperature in the wild & he has hides all along his viv which would be much cooler. Keeping an eye on the waterbowl & keeping it stocked is definitely a good idea though, @Malc I’ll definitely do that.


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## spigotbush (Feb 8, 2019)

thought i would update this as i have had this hide in action for a while. 
i found it quite effective, though quite a lump in the space. in the heat i tried using an cooled ice pack (which didnt have much effect), a frozen ice pack wrapped in a towel (which was slightly better but still not amazing), then just a straight ice pack. the straight ice pack was a help in the extreme heat, when the ambient was up in the 30c+ range the box was able to maintain 26c. i only put ice packs in on a few days, as once i had things going the box did stay cooler in general. it did change but it happened very gradually and i could put something cool in to slow it down further. on a few days when it was getting hot but not extreme i put a towel that i soaked and put in the freezer but didnt actually freeze in the other side and that kept temps down. i found it was inclined to stay about 5c below ambient on its own except on the scorching days. 
as it got cooler i actually took it out again as it was inclined to stay a little warmer inside. as the schrenkii is on his cooldown i decided it was better to remove it from the equation. the corn snake didnt care at all, i saw him go in for curiosity sake but didnt spend any time in it, so i took it out after the heat was done.

all in all, it did what i wanted it to do, which was to be a substitute burrow. i think i will incorporate one into some viv designs in future as the schrenkii was definitely using it. i think it would work well as a cool/humid hide that i can help cool down further in extreme heat. over winter i may try and make it less ugly. i did cover it in silicone and sand which helped a little but i would like it to look more rock-like as a permanent fixture. 
for the corn snake i might make a hide from the foam boxes but not worry about the second chamber. i would lose the option to add cooling but it would be more effective as a cool hide in general so he may be more inclined to use it.


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