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Never had a reptile before and have a few questions before I'm in over my head

Z

Zach B

New member
So I've done a lot of research and have decided a Corn Snake is my best choice I've looked into what a lot of snake owners are doing and I've talked to a few people but I'm worried about heating. I plan on using a heat pad and if I need to a heat lamp. I'm not sure which is the better choice but my main worry is not what to use but how it works.
I've realized captive reptiles are pretty dependant on electricity. What do I do in the case of a power outage? I've seen things about using hand warmers like what is often used for hunting but I've also read those like some heat rocks can get too hot. How can I prepare cold blooded animal like a snake for a situation where its cold out and i don't have electricity?
 
you can always hold it close to your body and wrap up in a blanket or jacket. Snakes love warm bodies, and how long are you expecting to be without electricity. Most power outages only last a few minutes or so. In most situations, the snake will be fine unless it gets really cold and you have no power for days at a time, and if that's the case, then you might want to re-evaluate your need for a snake at this time.
 
Karl_Mcknight said:
you can always hold it close to your body and wrap up in a blanket or jacket. Snakes love warm bodies, and how long are you expecting to be without electricity. Most power outages only last a few minutes or so. In most situations, the snake will be fine unless it gets really cold and you have no power for days at a time, and if that's the case, then you might want to re-evaluate your need for a snake at this time.
Click to expand...

I've had them happen for a few days but most of mine don't last for very long but a years ago we had a tree take out a line and that lasted for about a week. The chances are slim that will happen again but no matter where you live it is possible I'm just worried about a situation like that happening again. At most in the normal pwer outage situations I'm looking at maybe a few hours
 
Also, make sure to purchase a thermostat to control the temperature of your heat pad. Heat pads that are plugged directly into the wall can reach temperatures of up to 170 degrees Fahrenheit and can easily burn or kill your snake. Unregulated heat pads are also more likely to short circuit and start a fire.
 
ballpythoncrazy said:
Also, make sure to purchase a thermostat to control the temperature of your heat pad. Heat pads that are plugged directly into the wall can reach temperatures of up to 170 degrees Fahrenheit and can easily burn or kill your snake. Unregulated heat pads are also more likely to short circuit and start a fire.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that information. I actually didn't know that could get that hot.
 
Zach B said:
So I've done a lot of research and have decided a Corn Snake is my best choice I've looked into what a lot of snake owners are doing and I've talked to a few people but I'm worried about heating. I plan on using a heat pad and if I need to a heat lamp. I'm not sure which is the better choice but my main worry is not what to use but how it works.
I've realized captive reptiles are pretty dependant on electricity. What do I do in the case of a power outage? I've seen things about using hand warmers like what is often used for hunting but I've also read those like some heat rocks can get too hot. How can I prepare cold blooded animal like a snake for a situation where its cold out and i don't have electricity?
Click to expand...
Do not ever use the regular hand warmers, only use the ones that are made for reptiles.
Depending on your enclosure and the ambient temps in the house, you might need to use an UTH and a ceramic heat lamp in the winter.
UTH are better, but ceramic heat lamps can be used effectively.
Regardless of your heat source, they need to be regulated with a thermostat.

If the power outages are short in duration, and the house doesn't get too cold, the snake should be fine, just don't feed it.
Longer power outages, a generator is a must, unless you can take the snake to a friends house who has power.

I watch for incoming storms, and don't feed for a few days before we have them.
I don't normally lose power for more than a few minutes where I am at, but one recent storm left me without power for 18 hours, and I hadn't set up my generator, that night, because I'm used to having the power come back on relatively quickly. When it didn't come on by morning, I tried to fire up the generator, and it didn't start. Luckily, I hadn't fed them before the storm.

Nick Mutton recently wrote an article in HerpNation on being prepared for storms, after he lost power at his place. (His snakes are his livelihood.)
My power outage was the same time his was, we're on opposite sides of the state, and we had a very large storm move though.
 
Thanks for the responses. I will definitely keep an eye out for incoming weather and will try to get a generator though not many places I'm my area sell them. That was interesting article and very informative information from both the replies and it. After an ice storm that lasted for almost a week in my state a few years ago I've been very mindful of power
 
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