Hello all. In recent years I've become very interested in learning about general preparedness, either "bug out" style or sheltering in place. I thought we could compare notes on this topic, figure out some emergency plans.
So, we've had really intense flooding in my area in the last few years. We're also prone to heavy snow fall. Natural or man-made disasters can necessitate an evacuation, and there's not always advanced warning. Not too long ago there was a fuel spill nearby and it was a bio-hazard so they forced everyone in that area to leave until the next day. If there's an impending weather-related disaster and you keep an eye on the forecast it could be better to pack up your car before the storm hits and head for a safer location rather than getting stuck in your house due to impassable roads. Alternately, figuring out how to shelter in place and survive without power/water/basic services will be very important.
You should never leave your pets behind during an evacuation. That being said, I know some people have tons of reptiles and it becomes very complicated to evacuate them all. I was wondering if anyone with a lot of herps can weigh in on this subject, how to evacuate everyone or keep temperatures up during periods of no power. Also if you feed F/T and everything starts to defrost, that could be a disaster in and of itself.
I only have a few snakes and one cat. I have travel cages for everyone, but I think it might be easier to put each snake into a pillowcase and get an insulated cooler with some heat packs. Grouping them all together wouldn't provide a way to get them to their individual ideal temperatures but I'd hope it would keep them warm enough during a winter emergency. I'd need a separate cooler for the frozen feeders.
For sheltering in place with no power, the cooler would come in handy for the frozen/refrigerated items but there's not really a way to keep everyone warm. Heat packs inside the enclosure? I would worry they'd get too hot to place directly inside the cage, but also wouldn't heat up the area good enough if placed outside of the cage. If anyone has insight on this, I'd appreciate it. What brand of heat packs work the best, etc.
Other resources:
https://www.petcoach.co/article/an-e...for-your-herp/
https://redrover.org/resource/disast...nd-amphibians/
https://www.herpcenter.com/reptile-a...first-aid-kit/
Please feel free to add your thoughts, plans, and resources also!
as it stayed a balmy 82*. I now have heat packs on hand too, in case, but the main thing is to have ice chests (or even styrofoam boxes that food was shipped in) on hand, to protect animals from temperature extremes of any kind. I use them for transport, moving or just a vet trip too...hot sun streaming in thru car windows can also kill, as can excessive heat coming up from the vehicle floor during a long trip. (I can remember on another forum the member whose favorite boa was bagged only, and kept on the floor of his truck during a long ride & the snake died from heat exposure...he didn't realize how hot the floor was getting or how poorly insulated his truck was...so very sad.) So don't let this happen to YOUR pets. You put human kids in car seats or seat belts, you have to protect traveling pets too, and snakes travel VERY easily this way...I've moved halfway across country with my snakes bagged/& in ice chests. Just be sure you don't over-crowd them, they should be of similar weights, not smooshing each other if their bags over-lap. And minimal ventilation needed, as with air shipment.
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