I'd stay away from the refrigerator. A good quality wine cooler would be a viable opetion. But you MUST open the door for a few minutes every couple of days to allow for air exchange. Also, the quality and dependability of wine coolers varies greatly from one brand/model to the next. You need one that has a "real" compressor in it as opposed to some of the cheaper units that use other thermal electronic means of cooling. You also need one with fairly accurate temperature controls. You should also keep a small dish of water in the bottom of the unit to help prevent dehydration.

Check at Home Depot or Lowe's. They carry several makes and models. The best I found for my purposes was their Frigidaire Model LFWC42F5LS 42 bottle capacity wine cooler. It is large enough to brumate several kingsnakes/ratsnakes/etc in and I found the thermostat to be fairly accurate and reliable but I also keep a separate digital thermometer inside as a precaution. This model sells for $295.00...maybe a tad less if you catch it on sale. be careful of some of the smaller and cheaper units that do not have regular compressors. You get what you pay for. Most of the decent units will cool down to between 42 and 62 degress F.

But once again, it is vitally important that you open the door on the wine cooler for a few minutes every couple of days to allow for air exchange. Also be sure that each animal's container has a water bowl available in it.

Remember during the warmer part of the year you can store your favorite beverages in it....then change it back to a brumation chamber in the winter.

Good luck.

Gerald
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Gerald Keown
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research
www.southwesternherp.com

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