Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I had my family over for a cook-out for lunch on the 4th. My nieces(3 of them) and my sister wanted to see the new baby balls that had hatched a couple weeks prior. I took them in and showed them the babies and explained their genetics to them. While we were in there, someone either bumped the dial of my thermostat, or it being the bottom rack, my 2 and a half year old niece turned it not knowing what she was doing. This made the heat tape go all the way on. They finished looking at the animals and we went back outside. We finished lunch and we went to Tunica(casinos and hotels not far from Memphis) to spend the weekend swimming and relaxing. I got home late Sunday night only to find my 3 snakes on the bottom rack dead. I lost(all sub-adults) an Orange Ghost female, a Pastel female(sold, awaiting permits from F&W to ship out-of-country) and one of my 50% poss. het. Caramel females. I don't care about the money part, I just feel so badly for those animals. I am always very careful around the cages, I never dreamed that this would happen. It makes me never want to show anyone my animals again, even if it is family and I love sharing my love with other people. I just wanted to share this with everyone so that this might not happen to someone else. Luckily each level is managed by a seperate controller, it could have been much worse had they all been controlled by one.

Skip Nelson

That's insane!
I'm so sorry! I can't even imagine.
So far this has happened to 2 of my buds.....you and a mutal friend. I'm so sorry for your loss man. Not sure what else to say

Sorry for the losses, that is very unfortunate on many levels. I have had a similar experience on two occasions where young kids came into my snake room and turned down dials on theremostats. Now when people want to come in I let very few in at a time or have the adults hold really small children. I always check all of the thermostats when they leave. This is one of those things you don't even think about before it happens.
Thanks for posting it. Hopefully it will prevent it from happening to someone else.
Bill Kirby

Sorry to hear that. I hate when bad things like that happen, but it sounds like you are taking it ok.

HOOPY

Sorry about your loss but thanks for sharing so that the rest of us can learn at your expense. I guess placing thermostats up high when possible can now be right up there with no adhesive tape in the snake cage on the list of steps to avoid potential disasters.

I’m also wondering if someone could invent an inexpensive over temp alarm or maybe even a sort of circuit braker (maybe a mercury fused electric cord running through the back of the rack before connecting to the tape?).

Randy , They do sell sonmething along that line at Radio shack. It is a dial alarm you can set the temp once that temp is reached, it will dial a # you have pre placed in it to dial. I know a Friend who has this system(CCEtony) A very wise thing to have for those High dollar snakes and also run of the mill. Hope this helps.

Mike formerly or C&M Reptiles Now
Rept-A-Million

Could you elaborate on your adhesive tape statement?

Jake

Tape sticks to snake scales like you wouldn't believe. Good chance the snake will tear it's own skin off trying to get loose before you even find it and have a chance to try a citrus based product to dissolve the adhesive.

This is truly tragic. I am so sorry to hear that this happened. My deepest condolances to you. I also would like to thank you for sharing this story with us, hoping that it may prevent a similar disaster in the future with someone else.
And, like you said, thank God you kept separate levels on separate controls!
Best of luck to you in the future!
GratefulFred
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GratefulFred

Hello Skip –

A terrible thing to come home to, but thank you for alerting everyone to that danger. Here’s a suggestion for anyone who might be considering getting a proportional thermostat, and is concerned about curious children (or anyone else) tampering with the dial: The Helix Basic System controller uses a tiny countersunk screw on the front of the case that requires you to use a jeweler’s screwdriver to adjust the temperature. I have one of these and I curse and squint anytime I have to fiddle with it. But I can’t disagree with the design philosophy. All of my other thermostats have standard dials on the front like the one you describe.

-Joan

I had a nice rack going in my closet (a big walk-in), and the thermostat on the heater I was using failed. I came home to 120-ish degree temperature in my closet, and I lost all of my snakes (some really nice cali kings, a hondo milk, and a beautiful corn) except for my mexican black king, the trooper.

It's rough. Like you said, above all, you feel bad for the snakes, and what it must have been like to die that way.

You did nothing wrong, and you can rest assured that they had good lives up until... you know. I'm sorry, man.

Basil

so sorry to hear about your loss Mark Petros