Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello,
i am looking for some ideas for making a safe settup for cooling a few snakes this winter.
since i moved to florida, i no longer have multiple rooms for my critters. i only have 1 room and don't want to cool the whole thing. i am raising babies also. i am just a small time hobbyist and will only be cooling 3 or 4 pair.
i had someone once tell me they used a refridgerater. i would assume they rigged up some type of thermostat? they said they just had to open it every couple days to make sure they had air. has anyone ever tried this? any other ideas for a small settup? thanks....
jonathan

Someone I think on the kingsnake forum described using a wine cooler to make a brumation chamber.
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I decided my old sig was too big.

Hi Jon:

I use wine coolers in S Fla although my setup is not as fancy as the one posted in the King forum.

But I'm thinking of parts of trying his setup next year.
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Lloyd Heilbrunn

Palm Beach Gardens, Fl.

Below is the post in question i belive, i wrote thie prior to the previous cooling period and is one way that i cool my animals.

I don’t see many articles like this out there, so after many questions I have decided to write one. Bare with me, it kind of rough around the edges feel free to add your own thoughts, or e-mail me with questions Herptophile@yahoo.com or call for those that require some better ‘customer service’.

Do It Yourself Dual Purpose Hibernaculum/Incubator
By Herptophile

This article will give you a general outline and guide to building a hibernaculum out of a standard sized refrigerator, to build one of smaller size, the same general rules apply, and you just cut everything in half.
Step 1 I will take the fridge, remove the racks inside, keep the racks for use later, store them in a safe place (I have a lot of animals so I will stack them in Sterlite bins). Take a drill with a 1/4" bit, and drill through the outside, to the inside, making 2 different holes at varying heights, 1 about 12" from the top and 1 about 12" from the top of the salad drawer (keep the salad crisper drawer, get a Sterlite bin to fit it, fill it with water, it will help keep temps stable and provide humidity) I will then use two Herpstats preferably a high quality Spyder Herpstat (http://www.spyderrobotics.com/products/index.html), I don’t want to take chances with my collection...I will then insert one probe in the upper area, then using expanding foam sealant and high quality airline tubing, seal the probe in place. The airline tubing should stick out roughly ½” or so through the inside wall of the fridge, so that the probe hangs in place, not touching anything. If any part of the probe touches a solid object, you will not get an accurate temperature reading I will do the same for the second hole. Now that I have my probe assembly hooked to the Herpstat I will check the temperatures, and set everything to the desired temperature range (57-60* one set at 57 one set at 60*) I will then plug ONE Herpstat into the power outlet (57*), and attach a small extension cord or other item to that one and plug the other (60*) into the female end of that cord, and then finally the fridge into that one (60*).....the reason is that the one set at 57* will be the ‘OH CRAP’ one, and control the power outlet in case there is a malfunction so that the animals do not freeze. The primary control will be from the extension cord (60*) to the fridge. If you have a question about this, call me I will explain better.

Step 2: Allow the unit to reach desired temps with the water container in place to test the stability of the unit. This step usually takes 72-96 hours to be on the safe side.

Step 3: Get peeved because it doesn’t work right....yes this is actually a step, it won’t work right, and it will keep flipping on and off and on and off, and resetting each other UNLESS, you go out to a computer store, and buy a very simple, very cheap computer fan and mount it about 1" off the inside (I prefer the right hand, internal side of the fridge) this provides air flow and makes sure that everything stays evenly cool, I mount the fan about half way up the inside after that the problems should disappear. This is also the time to make any necessary adjustments.

Step 4: Let the unit run for 2 weeks to make sure nothing breaks down; there are ways to add air circulation. A 1" PVC fitting ran from the inside through the wall, to the outside, so you can cap it if you wish, but it requires more drilling and I’m lazy and neurotic (an oxymoron I know), I check on the snakes once a week or so anyways, so there’s plenty of air exchange. if the unit passes the test, then BAM your good to go, if everything works great those two weeks it will work great pretty much the whole time. Remember, nothing is failsafe, but I have put a lot of fail safes in this system already. It works well.

************SOME WORDS OF WARNING! ************
Refrigerators have been known to malfunction and stick on during this type of use, this is why you have two Herpstats, and two fail safes!!

DO NOT USE A BIG FAN, use a very small computer fan, just leave it on the whole time, if you want to get fancy you can add a toggle switch on the outside, but its not necessary, I use a 1-2" fan in mine, not some super turbo one either, you don’t want to make a hurricane in there, just a very slow very smooth air circulation, to eliminate cold spots

Check your animals often, roughly once a week is fine, make sure they have water, and that there doing all right. You might have to adjust the temps in the fridge, also this way you can gradually increase/decrease the temps to simulate spring/winter conditions for picky animals that require a sustained or long brumation. Opening the hibernaculum adds air flow; temperatures won’t become to out of whack if you remembered to add a large basin with water in the bottom to help stabilize temperatures. Once the water reaches the correct temperature It will be cold in a minute or two after you close the hibernaculum (a good temp for certain beer....hibernaculum beer....) anyways....now onto converting the unit to a incubator for egg time!

Converting the Hibernaculum to an Incubator in three easy steps!

Step 1: Measure the inside of the fridge, purchase 2 feet MORE heat tape than you think you need, I personally would use 11"/20 watt or equivalent heat tape. Tape the tape...if that makes sense, using scotch tape.... That’s a lot of tape in one sentence. Attach heat tape to the inside walls (not the back) of the fridge, all sides, top, walls, across the top of the drawer that holds the large sterile container of water that will perform the same stabilization and humidity job as above.

Step 2: Drill a 1" hole on the bottom right hand corner about 2" up from the salad drawer holding the Sterlite bin filled with water. Feed the power wire through, and hook up heat tape, set Herpstats accordingly using the same positions as they where before. CHANGE THE WATER IN THE STERLITE EVERY WEEK as it gets nasty, depending on the quality of water in your area. If you use Reverse Osmosis water or something other than tap water, you should only have to add water occasionally and only change it every 2-3 weeks. The rule is however, if there is a odor, or slime in the water, change it. I’m neurotic and change the water with water that feels roughly the same temperature at least once a week.

Step 3: Turn the unit on, and let it run for a week before adding your eggs, (adjust your Herpstats to the desired temps at this time, make sure everything is running well) this is when the 1" PVC pipe to the outside for fresh air is a good idea, un cap it. The 1” PVC pipe insures that everything inside gets some air exchange, it won’t affect temps very much if at all. After 1 week of good stable temps, and 1 water change to test the stability, add eggs in desired media, and enjoy!

****WORDS OF WARNING****

• Unplug the fridge when in use as an incubator

• Do NOT over think all this, it sounds complicated, but I can make one that looks like it was built that way in about two hours, from start to finish

• Always, ALWAYS place the unit in a area that has semi-stable temperatures, garages, are all right as long as its not -30* air temps with snow everywhere....how is the fridge to stay at the right temps in the winter (57-60*) if the air temps outside aren’t even that? In extreme circumstances like that, add 14"of 11"/20 watt heat tape to one side, and a extra Herpstat to monitor that heat tape, and set the heat tape at 55* to act as a ‘OH NO ITS TO COLD’ device.

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*Tips from the guy that made this stuff up (me)*

• Invest in some Velcro, Velcro the Herpstat to the fridge at chest level, makes it look better than having wires hanging everywhere. If you so choose, using white butterfly bandages to secure the wires to the fridge in a neat and orderly fashion makes the finished product aesthetically pleasing.

• If you play with it to much, you will break it, set it up, leave it alone, and don’t fidget!

• Bigger is better.....once you have a setup like this, you will find the need to put more and more items in it, and can then justify buying more and more snakes, pretty soon you have a zoo (like me) and are so obsessed you forget what its like to have an adult conversation that isn’t at least half Latin.

• DONT SKIMP ON SUPPLIES

The set up described here, can make a right fine one (that I should market except shipping sucks) for under $400.....What you spend now, will pay you back with flawless performance, and a good experience for you and your animals later.

Thanks,
Herptophile
432-208-3816
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To you im just the crazy snake guy, but to some I'm a 'Herper'.

That's neat, but the post I saw was by "Upscale", and involved winecoolers and aquarium pumps and was much simpler.

Mine is even more simple,I just use some airline tubing to ventilate the wine coolers, but without a pump.
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Lloyd Heilbrunn

Palm Beach Gardens, Fl.