Corn Snakes and Hurricanes...Hmmm...

[Caryl]

You're wise to think about the snake ahead of time, but relax. It sounds like you have things in hand. I doubt that the UTH will be needed unless you plan to feed in your evac zone, but it's not a bad thing. The rotating ice packs are a nice thing to have around as well.

Yes, Texas gets real hurricanes. Yes, Florida gets real hurricanes. Yes, other places do, too. (You might have heard, for instance of the last big one here locally. It was called Katrina.) I personally keep a clean tupperware container "herp hotel" for each of snakes with a small water dish in case of evacuation. God forbid they need to be used, but if they do I'll add some substrate and a small hide from each snake's viv to its herp hotel to give them a familiar scent amidst the chaos. If I do evacuate and am gone for weeks, I'll worry about purchasing prey items wherever I end up. Hotels are generally more understanding about pets during evacuations, I've found. Snakes don't bark, and while they may be are against official policy, I haven't a qualm about stashing their herp hotels in a hotel dresser drawer or a spare suitcase.

If you evacuate with your snake, be sure to guard against temperature extremes as you travel. I know too well how slowly traffic can move in these events, and you don't want your snake to overheat or overcool on the trip. The floor of your vehicle can get surprisingly hot if you're poking along, so be aware. We nearly gave the pet mice heat stroke in the back of the Suburban on our last evacuation before we realized it.

Our animals are family. We don't always leave, as evacuation is difficult, unpleasant, and expensive. But if we go, they go. Period.

 

[COerriccaRN]

Same here, and I remember katrina. She was a doozy.

And I was just joking about Florida having baby hurricanes. I know they are all very serious and stressful.

Also, I'm glad you understand how many factors and everything go into a hurricane evacuation and aftermath, since you do live on the coas like me.

Its also a releif to hear about others expeirences with hotels and snakes. That was my biggest worry. We also take our animals with us, but we usually board our dogs at a dog hotel somewhere along the way or close to our hotel. Either that or we bring an open air kennel and leave them in the back of the truck with a misting fan. This works for dogs, but I have never had to deal with snakes(although we did have to evacuate a pig once...try telling a boarding kennel that a huge Piney Woods Rooter hog is "just like a dog")

But I have all my "Hurricane Kits" set up and ready to go, just in case. The farmers almanac is predicting three big ones this year. And its always been right the past 7 or 8 years...

 

[Wylie]

Good thread, I have thought about this as well.

Up in NC we had to leave our house on more than one occasion because of losing power due to ice storms or wind usually. The only time I really had to worry about Flash was when we lost power and it was quite cold outside, at first it was okay cause we kept our wood stove burning but then when we decided to go stay at a friend's house for the weekend and once the fire went out, I of course took Flash along. I just put him in his feeding container with some paper towels and brought along a small water dish. Luckily he hadn't just eaten so I knew the temps wouldn't be much of an issue and the friend's house would be at least 68 degrees anywhere in the house. And Flash did just fine over the weekend with that setup. I have often gone over in my mind though what I could do in case of a hurricane or tornado. It would be more of an issue if the snake had just eaten.

 

[COerriccaRN]

Thats the problem...*sigh* you can't really tell if you need to evacuate or if a hurricane is going to hit your exact area until the last couple of days. I have decided to just feed Erricca when the gulf is clear! And the rest will hopefully fall into place.

 

[COerriccaRN]

I also worry about tornadoes. We get them ALOT. And you can't plan for those.

 

[Nanci]

I bought a weather radio so at least I know if I ought to be worrying about tornadoes or not. I _think_ I am less nervous with it than without it. My fantasy is to get a tornado shelter if I can ever afford one (Google safe sheds) but how much time do you think there'd be to get out, anyway? At least I could get some out.

 

[kathylove]

Although I have not yet evacuated for a hurricane...

I do go to a lot of shows, driving around the country in different weather conditions with lots of herps. So I have learned (sometimes through sad experience) of good and bad ways to travel with them.

The best tip I have learned is to use coolers whenever possible. We put a few unobtrusive air holes in the cooler, and take it right into motel rooms with us. No problems so far! Whether your car is too warm or too cool, it will take longer for the temp to change inside the cooler than outside of it, so the temp tends to stay more stable for the snakes. You can stabilize it even further by packing one or more large soda bottles of water. Water is dense and provides thermal mass - it takes MUCH longer for a bottle full of water to overheat or chill than a similar air mass, and helps keep temps from going to extremes quickly. Don't ever worry about a corn being too cold IF it has an empty stomach, and IF the temps are reasonably comfy for you without a coat. Much better to be too cool than too hot! If you try to keep your corn warm enough to eat during short emergencies when eating is not necessary, you are likely to overheat the snake - much more dangerous!

So my suggestion is to get a critter keeper the size of a shoebox for a snake that still eats pinks. Then get a lightweight cooler that the box easily fits into. Crumple newspaper above and below the cage, inside the cooler. That will keep the cage from bouncing around, and provide shock absorption. Put a couple (or more) of water filled soda bottles in the bottom of the cooler, if you think it will be exposed to hot or cold temps. Put a few air holes in the cooler, but try to make them something that is unlikely to be noticed. And just carry the whole thing with you wherever you go, ESPECIALLY if you stop to go into a store or restaurant - the car gets hot fast!

Other tips:

Because of the thermal mass of water, a large bowl of water will stay relatively cool even when the air is hot. For emergencies, the snake can soak during the hottest part of the day in a big bowl. Remember, too much soaking over long periods can lead to skin infections. You might want to remove the water at night if there is no electricity, and if this is the only way of keeping cool during the heat of the day.

Avoid feeding the snake just before evacuation. If something is developing in the Gulf, feed far enough ahead that the snake will travel on an empty stomach.

Feed smaller than usual meals whenever there is an emergency, extreme temps, or anything that could cause stress. That may avoid a regurge. A few weeks without food is better than a regurge.

Your most important concerns:

Avoid escapes and accidents, such as cage furniture falling on the snake, avoid overheating, avoid unnecessary stress, but provide sufficient water. Feeding, and worrying about chilling (unless it is REALLY COLD - not likely during hurricane season) is not too important.