When the Lights Went Out

A recent blackout in my province has prompted the inevitable questions after the fact - what do you do with your reptiles when the power goes out - and I mean for more than just a few hours.

As our family are seasoned campers from the old way (tents, campfires, and recently upgrading to Coleman/propane stoves), dealing with a power outage is no big deal. Small flashlights are always ready at the lizard tanks (to be able to do a quick nighttime check without disrupting them too much), candles are on standby and matches and lighters are in one cupboard. Freezer fall out is a necessary hazard, but can be cleaned up and food eventually replaced.

But lizards? Snakes? Baby Dragons? These need heat and UVB light to survive - and unless you are lucky enough to own/use generators, when the power goes out - you've got trouble.

Fortunately, as this happened in the summer - getting those all important rays was not too difficult - the sun was shining and the window provided a wonderful view for them while soaking up those rays. Had this been the winter - well, the sun still shines, and any rays will help.

(As an aside, you should make it a habit to give your reptile "sun time" all year round - there's nothing like the real thing to keep your reptile family member happy and healthy).

But warmth? The heating blanket is obviously out of the question (but something to keep in mind if you travel with your cold-blooded friends). Our solution was a hot water bottle - water steamed to perfection on the Coleman stove (the BBQ works well too), poured into that proverbial soother, and wrapped in a towel. The lizards were placed on top.

WARNING - please remember - lizards and most other reptiles are used to judging how hot they are by the warmth on THEIR TOP (think desert sun), not their bottom - so you must be very careful and keep a close eye and hand on any reptile on a hot water bottle or heating blanket. Yes, I know reputable pet stores sell "hot rocks" - but they will also tell you the same thing - use carefully, as this is not a standard in their natural environment.

You've also got trouble with fish and turtles - no power, no pump for filtration and aerating. The filtration isn't too bad, but the aeration can be adjusted by at least swishing the water around manually - not a great solution, but it kept our fish alive and our turtles less stressed and somewhat amused as we manually swished the water with our hands and they thought this was such a fun game!

Go To Page: 1 2