Keeping Cool

[Poswah]

I'm getting ready to pick up my first snake a lovely little het for albino Darwin hatchy and have been spending last few days getting tank set up and monitoring the temps getting a good gradient of about 5 degrees difference hot to cold...

However by mid afternoon with the local temps pushing 38 even with the heat Matt turned of tank is reaching mid to high thirtys. I don't have aircon in my house so my question is how can i cool the tank or ensure my hatchy stays cool enough.

I have plenty of darker spots for him to hide and a water dish that I think is adequate enough for him to curl up in.

From what I have read the temp range should be mid 20s to low 30s but how hot is to hot.

 

[pythoninfinite]

You don't need to worry about the minimum temps in the enclosure, just ensure that the warm spot is at a suitable temperature - the snake will find the place which suits it best, and it is safer to allow the snake the choice. You run the risk of making the "cool" spot too warm if you only allow a 5C differential because sometimes snakes will choose to go very cool if they have the choice. They don't have closely managed temperatures in the wild, and are quite capable of managing their requirements if you give them a wide choice of places to chill out, with maximums of around 35C the important factor.

More importantly at the moment... during heat waves where temps in the enclosure are likely to exceed 35 for some time during the day, place the enclosure on the floor of the coolest room (often the bathroom) during the heat of the day, especially in the afternoon. Alternatively, you can drape the enclosure with a damp towel, which should keep it cooler than the surrounding parts of the room, but you should be home to ensure the towel doesn't dry out too soon. The bathroom floor is usually the best option.

If the enclosure is large or difficult to move, put the animal into a plastic tub with a couple of hides, and place it on the floor. You won't need to heat it during this time, even if it's a few degrees cooler than the set temp in the enclosure.

We're expecting high 30s today, so I make sure I'm around, and check the animals every hour or so during the heat of the day.

Jamie

 

[pinefamily]

We had 42 yesterday. Had the heat off, and made sure all their water bowls were full. Our house is a combination of stone and solid brick, so with everything shut up, and some cooling, it wasn't too bad.
One tip, if you are going to have the heat off, put off feeding until it's back on again. It won't hurt to miss a day or two until it cools a bit.

 

[Stompsy]

On hot days I usually set my timers to only heat for half of the day.... plus I don't have airconditioning so the house temps are usually quite warm on over 30 days...

 

[Poswah]

Thanks guys. I'm probably over worrying but am a firm believer in knowing what I'm doing before I do it. Have been around snakes before but never as the main carer.

 

[ronhalling]

You don't need to worry about the minimum temps in the enclosure, just ensure that the warm spot is at a suitable temperature - the snake will find the place which suits it best, and it is safer to allow the snake the choice. You run the risk of making the "cool" spot too warm if you only allow a 5C differential because sometimes snakes will choose to go very cool if they have the choice. They don't have closely managed temperatures in the wild, and are quite capable of managing their requirements if you give them a wide choice of places to chill out, with maximums of around 35C the important factor.

More importantly at the moment... during heat waves where temps in the enclosure are likely to exceed 35 for some time during the day, place the enclosure on the floor of the coolest room (often the bathroom) during the heat of the day, especially in the afternoon. Alternatively, you can drape the enclosure with a damp towel, which should keep it cooler than the surrounding parts of the room, but you should be home to ensure the towel doesn't dry out too soon. The bathroom floor is usually the best option.

If the enclosure is large or difficult to move, put the animal into a plastic tub with a couple of hides, and place it on the floor. You won't need to heat it during this time, even if it's a few degrees cooler than the set temp in the enclosure.

We're expecting high 30s today, so I make sure I'm around, and check the animals every hour or so during the heat of the day.

Jamie

So much for high 30s Jamie, at 2 pm it was 41 deg here in Port Macquarie, I wrapped a couple of ice bricks up in tea towels and put 1 in each of my spotties enclosures, they spent plenty of time on or around it. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) -ronhalling

 

[pythoninfinite]

Yeah Ron, it certainly was a cracker today, still around 39 up here after 6 this arvo. Never known a summer like this up here. Bloody awful.

Jamie