Massive Reptile collection Lost to Fire

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There is a fund for reptile donations, its just not on this site.
 
that is a horrible loss , fires a devastating enough with out loosing animals in them i can only imagine what he must be feeling

Please everyone check your wiring particularly your power boards. Partially plugged in plugs are very dangerous

maybe for the ignorant (like me) you could give us a few tips on things that we should be looking for and ways to help prevent this (things like replace wires after X amount of years etc
cheers :)
 
that is a horrible loss , fires a devastating enough with out loosing animals in them i can only imagine what he must be feeling

maybe for the ignorant (like me) you could give us a few tips on things that we should be looking for and ways to help prevent this (things like replace wires after X amount of years etc
cheers :)

Burnt wires, hardened/brittle insulation, exposed wired etc.

While I understand the need to be cautious with wiring etc. I don't think people should be jumping to conclusions or making any subtle suggestions about Alex's situation without finding out all of the info. I was led to believe that it was most likely the house wiring and not the enclosures. Consider that most houses in North Sydney are pretty old and the wiring in them was likely never installed to expect a couple of kW running through them, it's a situation that almost nobody could predict.
 
Burnt wires, hardened/brittle insulation, exposed wired etc.

While I understand the need to be cautious with wiring etc. I don't think people should be jumping to conclusions or making any subtle suggestions about Alex's situation without finding out all of the info. I was led to believe that it was most likely the house wiring and not the enclosures. Consider that most houses in North Sydney are pretty old and the wiring in them was likely never installed to expect a couple of kW running through them, it's a situation that almost nobody could predict.

I agree and didn't mean to imply it was in anyway a result of his enclosure wiring...
But rather a timely reminder to check electrical installations especially with our enclosures.
 
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maybe for the ignorant (like me) you could give us a few tips on things that we should be looking for and ways to help prevent this (things like replace wires after X amount of years etc
cheers :)

If wired correctly then you should never need to replace wires. Unless the insulation goes brittle with time that is. If your house is older than 20 years old, get a sparky out to inspect the wiring. Old rubber wiring that is no longer used is a real fire hazard. The rubber insulation goes brittle and leaves you with bare wires often. Dont overload your circuits and try to avoid more than one power board per outlet. It's all common sense really. I've installed a smoke alarm in my reptile room as I feel it is the most dangerous room in my house electrically.

  • Check your plugs. Make sure they are pushed in all the way and nice and tight fitting.
  • Feel them and your extension cords. They should not be unusually warm.
  • Visual inspection of all cables for nicks in the insulation.
  • Visual inspection of wires for discoloration from excessive heat.
  • Check wall outlets are in working order.
  • Don’t coil cables, as it can result in induced voltage.
  • Don't do any DIY wiring.
  • Don’t use normal cable for heaters. Cable should be at least V90 or fibre glass sleeved.
  • Check all heat mats, cords and other heat emitting devices regularly.
  • Don’t use higher rated lamps than the lamp holder is rated at. (A plastic flood light holder from bunnings is not rated to be in an enclosed box with a ceramic heat emitter for example.)

 
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Really feel for Alex, can't imagine how I'd be coping being in the same situation :( Can the fund for donations be made public or is that not allowed on here?

Great advice regarding wiring Snowman too.
 
That's good info, Snowman.

Let's say the smoke alarm you've so prudently installed in your reptile room goes off one day. You check it out and see smoke coming from one of the enclosures, probably the result of an electrical fault. Obviously, if the fire is too big the best advice is to abandon ship, but if it's only small, what is the safest way to attempt to put it out?
 
That's good info, Snowman.

Let's say the smoke alarm you've so prudently installed in your reptile room goes off one day. You check it out and see smoke coming from one of the enclosures, probably the result of an electrical fault. Obviously, if the fire is too big the best advice is to abandon ship, but if it's only small, what is the safest way to attempt to put it out?

Dry powder extinguisher.
 
I saw this in today's manly daily a tragic loss for this guy! They haven't released a name yet so unsure if I know him!
 
Absolutely devastating, very sorry to hear this this morning.
Where can we find more information about fund raising & donations?
 
i met alex at the castle hill reptile show he is a reely nice guy i feel so bad for him. I bought a python from him im so so glad i did because i feel i saved the little guys life which is great because i nearly bought a gtp from someone else, not to say that any of this is good.
 
That's good info, Snowman.

Let's say the smoke alarm you've so prudently installed in your reptile room goes off one day. You check it out and see smoke coming from one of the enclosures, probably the result of an electrical fault. Obviously, if the fire is too big the best advice is to abandon ship, but if it's only small, what is the safest way to attempt to put it out?

As Wally76 stated use a Dry powder extinguisher, or a CO2 extinguisher. You can get little powder extinguishers at bunnings, quite cheap. I also have one in my snake room, though it often acts as a door stop. I used to work for chubb fire so kinda got a lot of stuff around the house like fire blankets in the kitchen etc.
It's worth looking at an extinguisher selection chart. The different types are labled by bands on them depending what it contains. Extinguisher Selection and Fire Classification - Extinguisher Selection and Fire Classification
 
Snake Ranch will have donation bucket on there table at the penrith expo.
Any donation above $50 will get a free Snake Ranch cap.
Snake Ranch will also donate a breeding pair of Rough Scale pythons to Alex.
 
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This was truly heartbreaking news, and I really feel for Alex. I couldn't believe it at first, I thought it was 100 animals, but it turned out to be 300. The death of 300 animals due to a house fire is an absolutely unimaginable loss. To many people that is like losing their family.

As for donations, I have a nice woma that once he is back to his regular feeding schedule, I would be willing to part with to help out. He goes off his food this time of year, strange but true and for a while I was baffled by his feeding cycles, he will start feeding again in July or August (same as last year). He is a beautiful handler, and though he is a little restless at times and likes to pace a lot he is in perfect health, during his feeding schedule he is a real pig and can take 3 decent sized rats in one go.

I plan to part with him after breeding season is over (around September), I plan to put him and another male I have over my one and only girl and once he is done, I would be willing to help out.
 
I bought a python from him im so so glad i did because i feel i saved the little guys life which is great because i nearly bought a gtp from someone else, not to say that any of this is good.

That's a special little snake. Is his name going to be Lucky?
 
Forgot to mention, in the 30yrs i have kept herps, i dont trust many people, Alex is one that i do trust, lets all get behind one of the good guy's in this hobby.
 
As Wally76 stated use a Dry powder extinguisher, or a CO2 extinguisher.

Thanks, Wally and Snowman. An extinguisher might not have helped in this particular case, but it's probably a good investment for anyone with wired-up enclosures.

Looking at that chart, the dry powder looks more versatile than the CO2. I will go to Bunnings and check them out. Would you go with Powder ABE or BE, Snowman?
 
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