How do you keep your snakes cool in the warmer months?

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matt196

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Normally this wouldn't be an issue for me, But I've recently moved and I have my snakes (2x Jungle carpet pythons.. separate enclosures) in a big insulated shed where i park my car..

I was moving stuff in and out of the shed today and it come to my attention how hot it is.. and has me concerned for the warmer months ahead.. at present their temps are fine but has anyone got tips or tricks I could try? or things i could do to prepare for warmers months (without the need to relocate them if possible i mean i have room in my house.. but the enclosures i have them in are quite large and tricky to manoeuvre)
 
I use a couple of 2 litre juice containers filled with water and frozen and put inside a pillow case in the bottom of the enclosure to create a cool area in the bottom of the enclosure.
 
Yeah, So since putting this post up I took my girl out and let her have a swim in a tub, Got her in the house with me at the moment to cool down a bit.. she crept up to 36.. (she is set to 30)

I like the idea of the cool area, I'll definitely do that!

My boys enclosure is sitting pretty on ~30 (alot more space to disperse the heat I guess
 
36c isn't a problem in the basking area as far as I'm aware as long as the snake has a cool end to choose from. What temp is cool end? Or is it 36c ambient?
 
Shes in a ~6 foot tall by ~2 foot wide/deep enclosure

She has a shelf up the top under the light which is plugged into thermostat.. and the thermostat prob is about halfway in between the light and her shelf off to the side a little.

she then has a long branch that goes from the shelf height down to the ground where her water etc.. shes been chilling down the bottom for the most part today

I honestly dont have a thermometer down the bottom so im not sure what the temp is down there in comparison to the top
 
Get a couple of collapsible mesh enclosures and bring them into the house on hot days, they take 2 seconds to set up and remove the risk of your snakes dying from the heat in the shed.
 
Probably be worth getting a temp probe for bottom or moving current one to bottom havnt used tall enclosures before but I have had long ones 1200l and had a probe in hot,middle and cold end generally if the basking spot is 33c the middle would be 27-28 and the cold end 23-24. As suggested you could use a ice pack ( cheap option) or install a ventilation fan and thermostat for fan ( expensive option)
 
I like all three ideas, I think a mixture of all three is a good thing for me too do.. appreciate it

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Oh and my boys enclosure is a long one (old big tv unit) he has heat one end, and no heat the other which i like a lot more then my girls enclosure.. tall enclosure wasnt the best idea it seems
 
Id invest in a temperature gun, just point and click it reads the temperature. Around $10 on ebay and $30 at supercheap. Can read up to about 300? so if your so inclined you can check everything with it (oven temps, oil, boiling water, a rock outside.
Also point at nothing in particular to get a room temp.
 
On days where really hot weather is being predicted turning off the power to all your enclosures the night before or first thing in the morning is a good start.
 
Any snakes kept in a shed (without A/C) are at huge risk in the summer - if the ambient was 36C already, you will without doubt lose them during a heatwave this summer if you don't bring them into the house. Inescapable temps in the high 30s will kill them in a couple of hours, and a tin shed with only foil insulation will easily get to the 50s by mid morning. Don't take the risk.

Jamie
 
+1for ramsayi's advice I do that, I also have a tub set up that I can temporarily relocate into a cooler room in the house (with no heating element) which I use for the multiple day heat waves
 
I use a split system a/c to bring ambient temps down to 25.c in summer and up to 25.c in winter in my reptile room, expensive but works.
 
Turning the the power the night before works so well, i do the same for my beardies and jungle during summer.

Having tubs setup inside with out without heat is probably your best option, no point risking there lives. Place them on the kitchen table if you have to but make sure you remove them from the shed, ive recorded temps of 55c ambient in my shed during summer....


Rick
 
Mine get the loovers in front of the shelving opened daily until night time and left ajar once they and the curtains are closed at night in the hotter parts of the year, I turn the ceiling fan on if need be.
My python has a 2 shelf thing to sleep on inside her tank, if she is too hot she climbs up to the top shelf or even higher up to the middle and side bits of glass in the top of the tank that glass lids would normally rest on.
 
Theres plenty of ways.

Wet towel or damp draped over the entire cage to darken it, then put a fan on.

Put ice in the water. Get a freezer brick and wrap it up in a towel and place it on the bottom. Turn heat mats off

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Cool - lukewarm water to cool the animal down itself.
 
Have you considered a small ventilation fan I know they make them for aquariums and you can pick them up cheap. I'd use them to extract air from the top and draw air through your enclosure. You can pick them up for about $40 and run it off a timer.
 
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