May I ask which heat blankets you have? I only know the one that run on electricity and don’t work either in the case it goes off. Or am I now thinking about a different type heatblanket?
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Mine does run on electricity. I’m not sure what brand it is, But I picked it up at Big Lots. Lol. But In case of evac to a place with electricity, it’s the quickest alternative than trying to find heat tape and a thermostat.
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Smart thinking! At first I was wondering how you are planning to use it when you don’t have electricity, but if you have go move your snakes to another place you can put a lot of tubs on the same blanket to keep them warm. I think I will soon get one too.
This is why I started this topic, to get some good tips. This is really helpfull.
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Common things to have to be prepared are
Fire extinguisher in your snake room
Pillow cases, tubs, heat packs in case of evacuation
Generator to keep things running
Buddy heater come in handy as well
The main issues I have experienced are power outages during winter storms (3 times during 2 days each time), I simply had the buddy heater run in the snake room keeping the room at 78 (no hot spot provided) the generator kept the incubator, lights, fridge, and water heater running and the fireplace kept the house warm. When you have many animals you just don’t have the luxury to go wait it out at an hotel.
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i saw a post on fakebook today that had to do with fire preparedness with people who keep rodents and it got me wondering,
what kind of precautions do you guys take in the event of an emergency for all your reptiles? (fires, power outages, evacuations, etc.)
i have a plan for power outages, since i live in Illinois and our winters can get rough. we typically lose power a few times throughout the winter, and plan to do something very similar for a fire plan!
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There you go @tkhr2thmoon, there is some good information on this thread about what you’re asking.
Any other questions let us know.
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thank you so much!
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Right now (in terms of herps), all I have are terrestrial geckos. Ever since I started keeping them I’ve had some preparations in place. There are individual, labeled tupperware containers ready, stored in a little cart that’s designed for moving laundry, and it has wheels on. I store it in another room, but my apartment is small, so it’s only a few feet. It’s how I’ve transported my geckos when I’ve moved. I also have a box of the longer lasting heat packs, in case I’m in a situation where i can’t get them to appropriate temps. They are also useful if the power goes out in the winter. Of course, that’s only if I have the time. I also have a laundry bag ready, if I literally only have time to grab them and throw them all in & hope some make it. I live in an apartment, so I always make sure I know where the nearest fire extinguisher is. I also have every single one of my guys on a thermostat, and most of them on a 2-thermostat system, in case the main one malfunctions, in an effort to lessen risk of electrical fire. They aren’t perfect plans, but I feel a small amount of assurance for having thought through some scenarios.
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Shortly after I got my second snake the basement was sealed and the fumes went from “fine” to “I think I’m going to throw up, pass out, and remind me which way is up?” in about ten minutes. It definitely impressed on me the importance of having an emergency ‘go’ plan.
I have a stack of size appropriate steralite boxes for each snake, and tucked in them I have
- cheapo water dishes
- spare hides
- puppy pads (or paper towels)
- pillowcase sack
I also have spare thermostats and 2 long thin heat mats that I can rest one end of the boxes on.
In a “5 minutes to get out the door” situation the snakes go in sacks, sacks go in the top box, and I carry the whole stack out.
I’ve also been meaning to add a small first aid kit with some gauze, betadine, and bandages.
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I’d like to revive this topic, but along a slightly different line… I have a generator and plans to evacuate my animals if needed, but I’m particularly interested if people have lessons they have learned to help prevent fires in their reptile rooms. I’ve heard horror stories from a couple of people in the hobby that have lost their collections and/or their homes to fires that started in their reptile rooms, and certainly all of the electric heat sources that many of us use increase the risk of fire. I always keep an eye out to make sure heat tape is in good condition, and avoid storing flammable items (aspen, shipping boxes, etc…) near racks that are heated, but I’m curious if there are other things that any of you out there do to try and prevent fires? I just want to be as safe as possible, for the sake of my animals, my family, and my property 
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This likely isn’t going to be a helpful answer for anyone else, but in my case, I don’t use heat mats/tape/lamps. Instead I keep species that can all be comfortably housed at similar temperatures and heat/cool the room itself. In order to create a temperature gradient for my animals, they all have a water dish hide that acts like a heat sink.
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I try to make sure ALL the electronics are on outlets with breakers, all get checked regularly for the condition of their wire, and I’ve been told it’s very important that no sharp pinches or angles are in the wires that could cause them to fray or malfunction.
I try to be sure to put an CO/Fire alarm in each room, near to the electronics. I should also put a fire extinguisher rated for electrical fires in each of the rooms I have a snake in, too, in a visible place.
Eventually I do want to invite my neighbors over and show them where I keep the animals and what to do if there’s ever an emergency and I am not home, then ask them if there’s part of their plans they’d like ME to know in the same situation. This is a pretty connected neighborhood and we already look out for each other’s little dogs.
I’d want them to know what I have here, and that yes you can just tuck Finnley the BP into a pillowcase and he’ll be chil with you and fine with that, and you can just pop the cables on Sangfroid’s little bitty House Snake enclosure from the outlets, and carry him, box and all, out the door.
I also keep a powerbank battery I can use in case of outages, so if power goes out I have that as backup for at least one night.
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This is a great idea. I will try and do this soon. I believe that most people are willing to help if they’re asked. IB live in the Gulf Coast where hurricanes are a regular event; people always help one another when disasters occur. This idea is reciprocal, and it should be an easy thing to say “yes.” Fantastic tip, thank you @athleticshoelace .
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