Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Starting this week in Sacramento we've been having a bad heat wave with highs around 100-108 everyday and its been a struggle to keep the temps down.

Last night our AC broke, it was off all night and today it was off until about 1:30 or 2 pm. Ive been really worried about my reptiles. I had to turn off the heat on my desert king and my 2 leopard geckos because it was getting into the mid 90's on both tank's cold ends! Its still about 90F on both cold ends but now the AC has been on and its starting to cool down. My leos can deal with that kind of heat so im mostly worried about my 14 y/o desert king Penelope. All week she's been keeping cool by soaking in her water bowl. I've been helping to keep the water cool by putting an ice cube over the water bowl and letting it melt down into the bowl.

This is where things get weird, about an hour ago i went into my room to get something and noticed Penelope had her whole head totally underneath the surface of the water! I got worried thinking she'd drowned and shook the tank and she pulled her head up. I'd never seen her do this before and it worried me a bit but i put it out of my mind. About 10 mins ago i saw her do the same thing again this time i had to actually touch her to get a response out of her and make sure she was still ok. This is really starting to make me nervous. When she's underwater i cant tell if shes breathing since she's holding her breath so it really rattles me.

I'm kinda afraid to leave her alone today because im going out for the rest of the night at about 5:30. Has anyone seen this happen before? Should i let her continue doing this or do something to prevent her from being able to? What if she stays under too long trying to get cool, passes out, and drowns?

Also some tips on cooling down my temps would be a blessing!

I'm ambient temperature incubating some alligator lizard eggs.
I live in Redding. No AC, only a swamp cooler.

Right now, inside temp is 91F - but in my incubator, it is ~ 82F.

The incubator is a smallish cubicle terrerium - 300mm X 300mm X 300mm - I'm mentioning the size because it matters.

On three sides of the terrerium, I have taped styrofoam. The eggs are in a potato salad bucket sitting inside it.

Anyway - when the temp gets > 85F - I put in two tall drinking glasses that are first filled with ice, then with water. The water will thus be at about 0C because of the ice, and acts as a heat sink. Thermal energy flows into the drinking glasses, but they remain at ~ 0C using almost all of the energy flowing in to melt the ice. Once all the ice is melted, then it uses the energy to slowly raise the temperature of the water. This does a very good job at reducing the ambient air temperature inside the tank.

The styrofoam reduces the amount of heat flowing into the now cooler tank.

On top of the tank (screen lid) I put a damp rag - as the damp rag dries, it actually takes heat out of the air to allow the moisture to evaporate.

My snake cages I'm just wetting the bedding (coconut fiber) on the cool side, and it becomes cool as it evaporates. Oh - and I'm not using any additional heat (except the UVB light for the alligator lizard)

If your inside temp is super hot because you are in hell (hell, sac, same difference ) w/ a dead AC and no swamp cooler - you could put a frozen 2 liter bottle of water in (assuming your tanks are big enough) - then at night, refreeze it. That's what I do for my cats. I assume it would work to cool the cool side of your tank in a similar way as the ice water cools my lizard egg incubator.

Hope this helps or gives you some ideas.
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3.0 WC; 0.1 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 CB L. pyromelana pyromelana
0.1 WC; 10 eggs (7/11) Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

Your snake will be fine.

It will not drown itself.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
Updated 7/10
www.captivebredforum.com

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3.0 WC; 0.1 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 CB L. pyromelana pyromelana
0.1 WC; 10 eggs (7/11) Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

In the bottom left hand corner you can see the hole he has dug under his water dish. He spends most of his time inside the artificial driftwood - but he liked to go under the water dish when he's getting ready to shed (probably because it is more humid) and when it is warm.

He rarely sits inside the water dish - almost only does that if he's warm and he's just eaten (had two mice today).
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3.0 WC; 0.1 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 CB L. pyromelana pyromelana
0.1 WC; 10 eggs (7/11) Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

My Cal King like to lay in his water dish all summer.(I'm in Arizona, it is 115 out).

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1.2 Albino Sonoran Gopher,
2.3 W.C Okeetee Corn,
1.1 Abbt line Okeetee Corn,
1.2 W.C Miami Phase Corn
1.1 Sinaloan Milk,
1.0 Orange Pueblian Milk,
1.1 W.C Mexican Black King
1.0 W.C Cal King,
0.1 Durango Mountain King
1.0 Desert King,
1.2 Bearded Dragon
45 Tanks full with African Cichlids.
Many Mice, Rats and feeder Roaches

I would imagine the ceramic bowls are cooler, think hard night of partying and bowing to the porcelain god, lol! It has to be cooler and thus they escape the heat by submurging. I have never had a snake drown but I guess anything is possible. I wouldn't worry too much, try a moist hide if you can't let it go but leave enough water in the bowl to at least half submerge. I like to see these kinds of behavior, the snake IS telling you something! I like to swim in the summertime!
Todd Hughes