This is already mentioned amongst this thread but for the animals who have lazy owners I am going to put this one out again....
Yes its still very cold at the moment but spring/summer is just around the corner. The Number One Killer of animals is heat exhaustion. Now is probably a good time to start researching for summer precautions and get yourself into the habit of checking your thermostats regularly - more than once a week - to make sure they are working. Overheated enclosures is usually caused by thermostats failing, leaving heat sources glowing at their maximum output. You will be very disheartened to come home from work in the afternoon to find your snake, lizard, or any pet, dead because their enclosure was too hot. Over summer it probably wouldn't hurt to cut down the power wattage to just enough to give the temps they need, or to re-adjust heating that isn't on thermostats to turn off during the hottest parts of the day. Check their water everyday and be sure its in their cool end.
Symptoms to watch out for, in overheating is prolonged soaking in their water, constantly at the cool end or even pinned hard against the furthest point from the heat source.
If you put your animals outside for sun, or have them living outdoors be sure they have plenty of adequate shade. A towel over them isn't good enough. They need a cool, shaded spot where they can retreat to away from the scorching sun. Or better still, chose the days, and the time of the day wisely and don't put them outside when the temperatures are already soaring. I learnt this one when my snakes kept crawling up my legs when I popped them down on the grass. My olives, carpets, didn't matter if they were the crankiest and hated me, if that ground is hot, they will want to get away from it, and crawling up your legs was cooler than the grass was.
If you find your animal in distress from the heat you need to act immediately to cool them. Remove them from the danger. Syringe some cool water down their necks, cool baths, and turning off their heat and allowing their enclosures to cool before you put them back in. Changing the bedding might be necessary if it has become too hot, and change their water. Place them in a tub in the coolest part of your house in a low traffic area to recover. When you see them recovering they can go back to their enclosures.
** REMEMBER ppl on this forum can offer all the advice in the world but you should never wait for replies to treat your pet. Seek veterinary attention. Nobody here can tell how bad your friend is, so if don't already know how to treat something, seek veterinary advice immediately.
oh and water, is water straight from the tap ok to give to snakes?
