Winter is coming and for the people in certain states, its already here. When winter arrives, its time to prepare for changes in the home environment to help avoid health problems with our herps. Winter is notoriously dry as forced-air heat dries out the already dry winter air. Some homes experiencing single digit humidity that saps the humidity out of everything from your wood floors to your tropical herps cage. This is a critical time of year when cold drafts and low humity work to make your animals suffer respiratory distress leading to infection and illness. So what do you do to prevent this? Isolate your herps to a room that you can control the humidty with a good humidifier. Change the filter in the humidifier using the manufacturers instructions to avoid bacteria build up. If you cannot do that, then increase the water bowl and spray the cage periodically (daily mostly). There are great misting and fogging systems for smaller cages. Avoid soggy cages that can also lead to mold and fungus.
Also, drafts happen in our older homes dropping temps in the house below level too low for the cage heaters to keep up with. Don't just rely on your remote thermometers. Use infrared thermometers to scan the various temp ranges of your enclosures. Be aware that cages close to walls, windows and concrete floors can be 10-20 degrees lower than other cages connected to a cetnral thermostat. Increasing basking lights helps increase day time temps or using a larger under tank heater. Incandescent lighting will reduce the humidity so you need to compensate.
Also during this time as with our holiday decorations and scented candles, be wary of fire hazards! Don't overload your circuits and use properly rated powerstrips and avoid the electrical octopus. Watch out for extension cords that are hot to the touch as they are being overloaded. This is critical when you are dealing with space heaters which draw lots of current. If you use an oil heater, make sure you get one that has tip over protection.
Keep it safe for you and your herps. Remember that signs of illness are subtle so keep a close eye on your herps during this time.
Good luck!
Herp keepers might also want to be ready for any power outages during the winter season.
If an ice or snow storm knocks out your power, you should be ready for an alternate heat source for your tropical herps.
Keep in mind this could happen and power could be off for hours or even days. I purchased a small generator for insurance in case of an outage.
There are many alternate heat sources for this potential problem. Kerosene, propane,and generators are just a few heat sources that could be utilized during an emergency.
Please use care when using these alternate heat sources. Some require ventilation and constant monitoring for safe use.
Happy herping!
Jim