Minimum temperatures

[Captain Firecat]

Hi all

In short, how cold can it get before a T (say a Chilean Rose or a Pink Zebra Beauty) gets in trouble? By which I mean dies, not temporarily goes off it's food.

I reckon 10 months of the year will be no issue, but winter temps in my 'tarantula room' drop to teens, even with a heatmat. Of course that's mainly at night and days would be a little warmer.

My corn snakes tolerate cold temperatures, they just don't eat during them. But then cold means they don't need to eat, so...

Basically how cold can the nights get before I have issues? I ask so I can do something if need be? No T yet, so no immediate danger!

 

[HungryGhost]

Your indoor temperatures drop into the teens!?

 

[Captain Firecat]

It's about minus 5 outside and that room doesn't heat well.

Can I assume you are from somewhere warmer than I am?

 

[DVirginiana]

Wow! Southerner here, so the idea of it getting to the teens even outside is kind of foreign to me.

 

[Captain Firecat]

Hmmm, my wife has suggested something that might be causing us confusion... I'm talking about Celsius, are you both thinking Fahrenheit?

That would be 60ish F! And that's mid winter mid night, so it isn't going to drop lower (I'd hope!).

So my question is, would a T die at 16C/60F, or just get a bit torpid? My snakes are like ice, but are still wandering about, that's the extent of my knowledge of cold blooded animals.

 

[Poec54]

It depends. Tropical low-elevation species aren't going to like 60 degrees. I've lost Lampropelma and Cyriopagopus when I hit that when my space heater conked out this winter. Slings are probably going to have issues with that, as will any spiders that are premolt or molting. It will help if the room gets warmer during the day. Since spiders are ectothermic, their metabolisms slow down with cool temps, as does appetites and growth. Cool temps = slow growth, warm temps = faster growth.

Keep in mind that although a few species live where temps go below freezing, the ground retains heat and they're inside a plugged burrow a few feet underground. They're nowhere near freezing. In a cage, there is no warmth in the substrate, and it's the same as the room temp.

 

[Poec54]

Wow! Southerner here, so the idea of it getting to the teens even outside is kind of foreign to me.

Unless you're in coastal southern Florida or coastal southern California, teens do occur.

 

[DVirginiana]

Unless you're in coastal southern Florida or coastal southern California, teens do occur.

Central NC. We get teens here, but not often and not for long (we stay below freezing for awhile, just not that far usually).

 

[HungryGhost]

Hmmm, my wife has suggested something that might be causing us confusion... I'm talking about Celsius, are you both thinking Fahrenheit?

That would be 60ish F! And that's mid winter mid night, so it isn't going to drop lower (I'd hope!).

So my question is, would a T die at 16C/60F, or just get a bit torpid? My snakes are like ice, but are still wandering about, that's the extent of my knowledge of cold blooded animals.

Ooooooooh, Celsius. Now I relate.

 

[DVirginiana]

lol That makes a lot more sense now! Yeah, I was thinking Farenheit.

 

[Poec54]

Central NC. We get teens here, but not often and not for long (we stay below freezing for awhile, just not that far usually).

Your winters are brutal compared to mine. I haven't turned on the furnace in 5 years.

 

[Captain Firecat]

Your winters are brutal compared to mine. I haven't turned on the furnace in 5 years.

Haha, I know, I'm guessing this isn't the right site for asking about keeping Ts warm, as most of the users seem to be from the native areas of the Ts so of course their rooms are warm enough.

I should point out aside from first thing in the morning I'm never cold in the house, but them I'm homeostatic and wearing clothes, neither advantage my T would have.

I'm at a loss. 9 months of the year the temperature will be fine 24/7, but for the other 3m... I don't know what to do. I can't leave a heater running all day (that'd be a super way to come home to a charred ruin of a house), our house was plumbed by some weirdo so has no thermostat(!), so I can't even switch all the radiators off but one and leave the heating on.

My last idea is to make a sort of heated cupboard via heat mats for walls (I have plenty of heatmats) all hooked to a thermostat to keep the temperature in the 20's. Then pretty much leave the T to it (obviously keep feeding and watering, but not on display) until the weather turns again. My snakes I've seen... 5 times since November, they are all piled in a box. No different to that.

On a related note, and just thinking out loud really, why are my snakes fine (their recommended temperature is mid 20s) but a T wouldn't be? I wonder if they are just hardier for whatever reason. They must be in the teens a lot of nights, and have been for every winter, but they have survived nearly 20 years. But then they fast over winter, which I've never read Ts doing, so maybe that's part of it.

Is there a T that is renowned for managing at lower temps? Or is my heatmat cupboard (say set to 20 to avoid some sort of oven effect) viable?

Given Ts are popular in the UK, and UK winters can be chilly, and a lot our our houses are pretty old (this is one of the newest houses I've ever lived in, but it's still from the 30s), you'd think I'd be swimming in suggestions online. Maybe we should just heat the house more! Though we are double glazed, draught free, insulated in the loft... Haha, I made a cup of tea (British!) before I started this like 5 mins ago, and it is now cool... But our kitchen is an extension and again built by some moron who thought a line of bricks would do, we've had to stuff insulation behind cabinets.

Come visit sunny England!

 

[Ghost]

Haha, I know, I'm guessing this isn't the right site for asking about keeping Ts warm, as most of the users seem to be from the native areas of the Ts so of course their rooms are warm enough.

I should point out aside from first thing in the morning I'm never cold in the house, but them I'm homeostatic and wearing clothes, neither advantage my T would have.

I'm at a loss. 9 months of the year the temperature will be fine 24/7, but for the other 3m... I don't know what to do. I can't leave a heater running all day (that'd be a super way to come home to a charred ruin of a house), our house was plumbed by some weirdo so has no thermostat(!), so I can't even switch all the radiators off but one and leave the heating on.

My last idea is to make a sort of heated cupboard via heat mats for walls (I have plenty of heatmats) all hooked to a thermostat to keep the temperature in the 20's. Then pretty much leave the T to it (obviously keep feeding and watering, but not on display) until the weather turns again. My snakes I've seen... 5 times since November, they are all piled in a box. No different to that.

On a related note, and just thinking out loud really, why are my snakes fine (their recommended temperature is mid 20s) but a T wouldn't be? I wonder if they are just hardier for whatever reason. They must be in the teens a lot of nights, and have been for every winter, but they have survived nearly 20 years. But then they fast over winter, which I've never read Ts doing, so maybe that's part of it.

Is there a T that is renowned for managing at lower temps? Or is my heatmat cupboard (say set to 20 to avoid some sort of oven effect) viable?

Given Ts are popular in the UK, and UK winters can be chilly, and a lot our our houses are pretty old (this is one of the newest houses I've ever lived in, but it's still from the 30s), you'd think I'd be swimming in suggestions online. Maybe we should just heat the house more! Though we are double glazed, draught free, insulated in the loft... Haha, I made a cup of tea (British!) before I started this like 5 mins ago, and it is now cool... But our kitchen is an extension and again built by some moron who thought a line of bricks would do, we've had to stuff insulation behind cabinets.

Come visit sunny England!

Hi,

I live in the UK also and I use an oil filled radiator with thermostat to heat my T's in the winter this is the method used by many T keepers here in the UK,I also know a couple of people that keep there T's in sheds and use this method without any problems.

Don't worry about burning your house down as long as you have it on a thermostat it will be fine as I said I use this method and have done for years without burning house down!!

 

[NYX]

I live in a place that gets frigid in the winter. It can be 4degrees Fahrenheit outside no problem. I use a small space heater on a thermostat to regulate the temps in the T/reptile room in the winter. I have no choice the temperature fluctuates to wildly without one. Corn snakes can go into brumation and is actually needed if you want to breed them. From what I understand Ts don't really have a brumation cycle.

 

[Morgan94]

I don't know if they have them in the UK but here in the US they sell space heaters with thermostats built into to them so you can set them on a specific setting and it will shut of when it reaches that temperature and if the temp begins to drop it will turn back on and will continue to do so until u manually turn it off or unplug it. I live in NY like NYX said and it gets pretty damn cold here in the winter it will be 18F one minute and -11 the next so it comes in handy for when I'm not home or sleeping.. I bought mine for around $30.00 best investment by far

 

[Captain Firecat]

I don't know if they have them in the UK but here in the US they sell space heaters with thermostats built into to them so you can set them on a specific setting and it will shut of when it reaches that temperature and if the temp begins to drop it will turn back on and will continue to do so until u manually turn it off or unplug it. I live in NY like NYX said and it gets pretty damn cold here in the winter it will be 18F one minute and -11 the next so it comes in handy for when I'm not home or sleeping.. I bought mine for around $30.00 best investment by far

My issue with space heaters is they all come plastered with 'do not leave this unattended' warnings, so I'm cautious to leave one running (albeit on and off on the thermostat/timer) while I go to work/overnight.

 

[Enn49]

Buy a greenhouse heater with built in thermostat and it will work fine in a closed room. I used one for a few years when I kept my snakes in the garage. It was just a small fan heater but it could be set to switch on and of as required.

 

[Poec54]

My issue with space heaters is they all come plastered with 'do not leave this unattended' warnings, so I'm cautious to leave one running (albeit on and off on the thermostat/timer) while I go to work/overnight.

I have a Lasko ceramic heater with digital thermometer and various safety devices (tip over, etc). I leave it on at night (when you need it the most) and while I'm at work. There's no cats or dogs allowed in that room. If you've got an old on, get rid of it. The new ones are much safer and more reliable, and not expensive.

 

[Morgan94]

My issue with space heaters is they all come plastered with 'do not leave this unattended' warnings, so I'm cautious to leave one running (albeit on and off on the thermostat/timer) while I go to work/overnight.

I agree with poec.
I'm not telling you to ignore the manufactures warning but the new ones come with safety precautions built in to them and i used mine for years and left it unattended for hours while sleeping and i work over nights just make sure there isn't any papers etc.... near it.

and im not saying your heating pad idea is a bad one cuz its not but theres a chance they can malfunction as well ya know.. and space heaters are ment to be ran for longer periods of time than heating pads are

 

[NYX]

My fiance and I both work an overnight shift so there are times where there is no one in the house at all. I personally never had a problem with the space heater. I lower the temp a bit when I leave for a night time temp too. The reptiles get a heatpad as well though. The Boa's especially do not like being chilly.