I hope you enjoy getting to know us!

I want to let you know that we welcome any comments or suggestions you have on making this site a better community. And, of course, any short stories, or articles that you'd like to submit for future editions of the Cold Blooded Chronicles can be sent to me, as well.

Happy herping,

PH Scales
Site Coordinator, Kingsnake.com
PHScales@pethobbyist.com

Chat Week Guest Suggestions!

The week of December 8 is PetHobbyist.com's famous "Chat Week," and we're looking for ideas for special guests in that week's chats! If you know of a rescuer, educator, hobbyist, breeder, or other expert who has something to share about animals, please send your ideas to PH Kiwi.

Speaking of chats, we have three hosted Kingsnake.com chats every week. Come hang out with your herp-loving chat hosts and other herp owners and hobbyists on Sundays 9-11 PM ET for Reptile & Amphibian Chat, Tuesdays 8-9 PM ET for Cold Blooded Chat, and Fridays 9-11 PM ET for Herps & Inverts Chat, all in Kingsnake Main! No registration is required and there is nothing to download. IRC users can access us on the irc.webmaster.com server at #mainroom.

NEW! Pet Loss Support and Animal Issues

Be sure to visit two new resources at PetHobbyist.com: Pet Loss Support, where we have nightly hosted support chats for those who have lost a pet as well as a complete set of message boards and links to other resources, and Animal Issues, a site for the exploration of the human-animal bond, animal rights debate, animals in the news, rescue needs and transport, and more!

Winter Advisory:
Get your herps prepared for winter before problems arise
By Melissa Kaplan

During the colder winter months, the colder outside temperatures will result in a drop in the temperatures inside your house or apartment, which in turn will make it more difficult for your reptile's heating equipment to attain and maintain the required temperatures for the species throughout the day and night. The only way to find this out is to monitor the temps in the enclosure, in three spots (the basking, warm and cool areas), several times during the day and night to see what's going on. If you also record the room air temperature and outside temps, you can begin to see the correlation between the three, and in the future you will know, just by listening to the weather forecasts, when it's time to add the additional lights or reset the enclosures' thermostats for the increased heat needed. You can buy thermometers that will record the daily high and low, and thermometers that will measure temperatures inside and outside of the house, by use of a probe placed outside; the probe is attached to a thin wire that connects with its dual thermometer base in the house. If you have a thermostat that regulates your central heating, then maintain that schedule on a day off so you can monitor room and enclosure temps to find out what happens to them when you are at work...just doing it on your day off when you have the heat blasting is not going to give you an accurate picture of what's going on when you are not home... ;)

Watch your power demands...if you are using more heating equipment, you may overload your outlet, power strip or fuse box. Check the equipment ratings, and be safe. Check out the article on fire safety to get some ideas on how to avoid being a grim statistic this holiday season.

Check temperatures throughout your house to see what the warmest room is, and where the warmest part of a room is...and locate your herp enclosures there for the winter.

Power Failures

There is only one thing to say: be prepared. If you live where power outages are common due to snow or ice storm, floods or high winds, lay in back up before you need it. Generators are the best way (assuming you have kept it primed and know how to work it! See vet Susan Donoghue's article on her fun time during the winter of 1993-94 in the Emergency Preparedness cluster at my site). People with wood stoves that are not reliant on electrical starters are also okay....assuming someone can be home to keep the fire going and the reptiles can be moved into the well-insulated room to benefit from the heat. Small reusable and disposable heat packs can be purchased from camping/outdoor stores which in a well insulated tank will be useful for small reptiles. White gas or kerosene heaters can also be used but be very careful using them with animals and kids...and be sure the room is well ventilated. Propane heat fixtures can also be used - you can even rent them from party suppliers (they are often used to heat outdoor dining areas). Follow all the manufacturers safety recommendations with these types of heaters.

You can insulate tanks by constructing them with double walls; otherwise, lay in a supply of extra thick towels and blankets to swathe tanks with...obviously, you need to be *very* careful if you do this with the tank lights on! The inside may overheat, and externally mounted lights may set the fabric on fire, so be very, very careful and smart about how you do this. Swathing is especially good at night.

Speaking of power, are your electrical/gas bills killing you? Talk to the power company to see about alternative pricing structures for which you may be eligible.

Food and Water

For non-hibernating herps, you still have to feed and water them. If you live where you may be socked in for days, or longer, not only do you need to lay in a supply of food and water and medications for yourself and your human family, but you must do the same for your animal family, as well. Figure out what their water needs are - drinking and soaking water, water for cleaning enclosures, and food and water bowls - per day or week, and lay in at least a weeks supply. Ditto with food. For snakes and many carnivorous, omnivorous and insectivorous reptiles, they can probably do fine for a week or so without food, even when being maintained at their proper environmental temperatures, so long as they are in good health and well fleshed to begin with. For herbivores and some insectivores and omnivores, they may need to eat during that time, especially if you are nursing any sick ones, so be prepared with a supply of food for them. As with meat-eaters, however, a healthy herbivore can go several days or week or more with little food.

If any of your herps are on medication, make sure you have enough on hand, with any necessary supplies, to get you through periods of being homebound. Assuming you still have power but just can't get out easily or at all, also make sure to have an adequate stock of cleaning supplies and garbage bags, substrates, etc...

Hypothermia

If, despite all your preparations and contingency plans, your herps get hypothermic, do not just ram their heat up to 100 F or put them in a hot bath to warm them up quickly. Doing so may literally kill them. Instead, warm them up gradually, such as by wrapping in a couple of towels and putting in a warm, not hot, enclosure, on a heating pad, and gradually over the next several hours, remove the towel, layer by layer, and boost the temps to normal range. Or, start with a tepid (70-75 F / 22-24 C) bath and slowly replace the cooler water with warmer water, until the water is in the normal bath range for that species (80 F / 27 C for temperate species to 90 F / 32 C for tropical ones).

Humidity

The air in our homes tends to dry out during the winters...especially if you are using your heating system most or all of the time. Consider running a humidifier at least during the day. You may find that the increased humidity helps the humans and other animals, too.

Copyright 2002 by Melissa Kaplan. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Vacations and your Reptiles
By Bonnie J. Keller
Virginia Reptile Rescue

The holidays are almost here, and with them come lots of travel and vacation time. Many people call me at about this time of year to ask about what to do for their new reptilian friends while they are away. Some people want to take them with them, others want to know of a good pet-sitting service that will care for reptiles. My answers to these queries vary with each person's situation, but in general, here is what I tell them.

For any reptile, taking them with you is not a good idea. Moving, having a new environment, etc. are extremely stressful to reptiles. They often leads to food refusal, higher than normal aggression, and/or complete withdrawal of your animal. This is especially true if you are going a long way away; the longer the trip, the more stressful on your reptile.

For snakes, little needs to be done while you are away for a week, or even two! Most snakes don't need to eat often (only grass/garter/water snakes need frequent feedings, as well as baby snakes of any type), so if you feed them right before you leave, they should be fine for a 1-2 week vacation. Longer vacations may be OK, depending on the type of snake you have. If you DO have a snake that requires frequent feeding, try to find a friend who knows the basics. Simply make sure that there is a large, untippable water dish in the cage for your snake to drink from. If he happens to defecate in the water while you're gone, he'll be fine until you return. If you're uncomfortable with that thought, allow your snake to "soak" for a few minutes the day before you leave, and that will give him the opportunity to drink. Going without water for 1-2 weeks should not be a problem, as long as the temperature in his cage doesn't get uncomfortably warm for extended periods. In any event, don't take your snake with you - it just causes more trouble than you'd imagine!

Turtles and lizards, on the other hand, require much more attention than do snakes. Many lizards, turtles, and tortoises should be fed daily, or at least every other day. Fortunately, pet-sitting services (or friends/neighbors) are more likely to help you with these animals than they are with snakes (an unfortunate fact.) If your lizards or turtles are insect-eaters, provide an ample supply of insects for your sitter to use use, and leave a few dollars with them in case they need to obtain more for some reason (like if the cat accidentally knocks over the cricket cage and lets 100 crickets loose in your house - oops, that's another story, sorry!) Have them come over a few days before you leave so they can see how many insects to use, what to "dust" them with, if anything, etc. If your lizards or tortoises are vegetarians, leave several days' worth of pre-made chopped food for the sitter to use. Then leave money and your special "recipe" for them to make more when needed. NOTE: Make sure your sitter is willing to do this; not all sitting services will go to the trouble. Water turtles are generally fed in a similar manner to fish, so pet sitters usually don't have any trouble feeding them, but do make sure first. If your water turtle is used to a more specialized diet than the store-bought turtle food sticks, consider getting the sticks just for your vacation. This is one of the few store-bought reptile foods that actually seems to work, is be OK for your reptile to eat, so use it if you need to!

If you're like me, and have a variety of reptiles, cats, dogs, fish, and a partridge in a pear tree, you'll need to find a really good pet sitter, or a really good friend. Fortunately, I have both, so my vacation is all set. My household routine takes about 25 minutes in the mornings, and another 5 minutes or so at night. My friends who will be caring for my animals during vacation will have their hands full! If you need to find just such a person, let me know. I can often suggest people who might help. Or, if you know of a pet-sitting service who will care for these exotic creatures, let me know that, too - I like being able to refer people to businesses that will work with them! Have a wonderful, safe vacation!

Bonnie Keller can be reached at 804-272-5324 or by e-mail at vareptilerescue@comcast.net.

Copyright 2002 by Bonnie J. Keller. Used with permission. All rights reserved.



Cold Blooded Chronicles is copyright 2002 by OnlineHobbyist.com unless otherwise specified. All rights reserved.