Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, I was just wondering what is lethal sustained heat for snakes in general? I supposed that some desert species can tolerate higher temps than some temperate species. The reason I ask is that, where I live the forcast calls for 106 to 108 degrees this weekend and I was wondering what if the airconditioning were to go out, would the snakes survive at those temps. The good news is that the interior of the house doesn't exceed 91 degrees ever. And in the past temps have been 110 and higher at times.

There is no good answer to your question due to the "snakes in general" part of the question.

I've seen a collection that was decimated by a room heater that overheated. Indigos, boas, corns, kings, ALL literally cooked to death. While in some of the racks there were ball pythons begging for food.

As for indigos, until I got A/C, at 85 degrees I start to freak out. I'll cover the front of cages with damp towels and turn fans on low. The evaportation would cool things down well enough. I know guys that would put blocks of ice in the water dishes.

Good luck, I hope the power doesn't go out.

Doug T

>>Hi all, I was just wondering what is lethal sustained heat for snakes in general? I supposed that some desert species can tolerate higher temps than some temperate species. The reason I ask is that, where I live the forcast calls for 106 to 108 degrees this weekend and I was wondering what if the airconditioning were to go out, would the snakes survive at those temps. The good news is that the interior of the house doesn't exceed 91 degrees ever. And in the past temps have been 110 and higher at times.

One thing that has always allured me to the captive husbandry of herpetofauna is the fact that you cannot make generalizations regarding the complex as a whole. You see, many people keep dogs and cats and while there are many different breeds of such, they are all cared for in basically the same manner. Reptiles however, do not all require the same care and virtually every genus and species has some specific requirement/s unique to that specific species or subspecies. Heat is such a factor and one would be hard pressed to make an accurate generality to this regard.
If you could be more specific regarding the genus and species you are curious about, such would go far in providing an accurate assessment. Since this is the Drymarchon forum, I will say that while some species are quite heat tolerant, such as D. m erebennus and D. m rubidus, most, including the two indicated, will demonstrate signs of heat stress if exposed to temperatures over 85* F for prolonged periods of time.
While I have not incurred the loss of a specimen within my collection due to heat, I do know of two individuals who have. One individual lost a pair of D. m melanurus, a pair of D. m unicolor and a pair of P. m melanoleucus when the thermostat within his herp room failed. He had a thermometer in each enclosure, which recorded the high and low temp, and it appears the room reached a high of 108*F. while all of his Drymarchon and Pituophis expired, his Python regius and Eryx spp. appeared to have suffered no ill effect.
In short, a variety of factors can impact a snake’s ability to tolerate heat, but one thing is for certain, snakes can generally tolerate lower temperatures much better than higher temps…

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

How many keep their adult Dry's with their own heat source? I do not have a heat source for my melanurus. They seem to be thriving at the temps I keep my snake room at, which is 78-80 degrees.

I maintain an ambient temperature of 73*-75* F within my Drymarchon facility, while each enclosure is equipped with twin 48" UV lighting, Pro Heat radiant heat panel and a 100w spot for basking opportunities. The panel allows for a better temperature gradient within my large adult enclosures and the basking light is run for only three hours per day, during peak daylight hours…

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

Hi Jeff,

Have you always used UV lighting and have you seen benefits of it or is it just for light cycle?

Thanks

So far as I am aware, I have not incurred any greater or less success with my animals than others who do not use UV lighting.
While growing up is South Florida and later, during my years in grad school years there, I realized that most of the indigos I encountered in the wild, and I encountered many, were found basking. Since indigos are quite fond of the sun it only makes sense, to me anyhow, that I should provide them with good lighting and outdoor excursions, when the weather allows.
I have spoken with the Sr. herp keeper at the Louisville Zoo, regarding the effects of UV, both natural and artificial sources, and D3 blood levels in various reptiles. They are doing a lot of work to this regard, especially with the Varanus komodensis in their care and I am currently working on a project regarding the D3 levels, of both male and female Drymarchon, throughout the year. I am hoping to determine whether there is any correlation between D3 and the over all health of the animals in my care, especialluy in regards to fertility. Even should the work prove that D3 and UV do not significantly impact the over all health of the animals, I will continue using such, as I know the animals must benefit in some small way and I simply find it depressing that some people would consider keeping sun loving animals locked away in a dark enclosure. Perhaps my view is a bit anthropomorphic, but it's how I feel..

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

All of my cages have their own heat source. If they are indigos, that heat source is a light that comes on a few hours every day. They sit under the light a lot.

My snake room rarely tops 75.

Doug T

>>How many keep their adult Dry's with their own heat source? I do not have a heat source for my melanurus. They seem to be thriving at the temps I keep my snake room at, which is 78-80 degrees.

Thanks all for the Info. So I now figure that if the airconditioning were to go out I probably wouldn't lose any of my snakes to to temps under 100 degrees for a limited time. And since the interior of the house doesn't rise above 91 degrees the snakes are safe. From what I can determine from all this information I am keeping my room temps to high for my Drys. Even though they seem not to be stressed in anyway. I open up the room at night and let the room temp cycle with the outside temps. Which are now mid to high 60's and then I close the room up around 10am and turn on the air to maintain 78-80 degrees. All my charges seem to eat and shed and poop with regularity usually right after I have changed the substrate. I guess they prefer their own smell.