This post is for you if:
-You don’t have central AC/heater system in your home.
-You live alone
-Your house gets colder than 60 degrees F in winter or hotter than 90 degrees F in summer
-You have a situation where you need to be gone for a day or two
-No one can stay in your house keeping an eye on your T’s or you have nowhere to take them
This is my situation. Not right now, but definitely will happen in the future. I have been losing my mind for days trying to think what is the best NON HAZARDOUS (fire) way of keeping them warm or keeping them cool depending on the season when temperatures get extreme if I can’t be home. I run a space heater when I’m here but it’s not safe to leave one of those unattended.
If I do any heating mat or heating cable kind of setup and there is a power outage, I have no reassurance it is going to turn on or even place a fire hazard as well. SO. After thinking and overthinking I actually came up with a relatively simple solution for THIS particular situation and I want to share it here in case anyone is ever in my same spot.
Phase 22 rigid panels
<edit>
Bluetooth thermometer/hygrometer
<edit>
insulated box
<edit>
-You don’t have central AC/heater system in your home.
-You live alone
-Your house gets colder than 60 degrees F in winter or hotter than 90 degrees F in summer
-You have a situation where you need to be gone for a day or two
-No one can stay in your house keeping an eye on your T’s or you have nowhere to take them
This is my situation. Not right now, but definitely will happen in the future. I have been losing my mind for days trying to think what is the best NON HAZARDOUS (fire) way of keeping them warm or keeping them cool depending on the season when temperatures get extreme if I can’t be home. I run a space heater when I’m here but it’s not safe to leave one of those unattended.
If I do any heating mat or heating cable kind of setup and there is a power outage, I have no reassurance it is going to turn on or even place a fire hazard as well. SO. After thinking and overthinking I actually came up with a relatively simple solution for THIS particular situation and I want to share it here in case anyone is ever in my same spot.
- If their enclosure is too big, temporarily move them to a small one.
- Get an insulation box. The type people use to ship reptiles.
- Get phase 22 rigid panels. (These are like hot or cold packs but WAY better, used for shipping animals and even human organs. They are reusable not disposable and super stable)
- Put some moist paper towels inside the box or cooler.
- Put the small enclosure/enclosures inside the insulation box or Styrofoam cooler, together with the phase 22 rigid panels set at the desired temperature. When you are doing this, do it in a room that is in the ideal temperature before leaving, preferably a little bit hotter or a little bit cooler depending on whether it’s winter or summer. Close the lid.
This will keep them at a steady temperature and protect them from the elements during that time even if the temperatures in your house rise or drop. - I would NOT recommend doing this for a more extended period of time than one or two days, although animals are sometimes shipped internationally and spend a week or weeks inside these kind of boxes and they manage very well!
- Tip: if you want to monitor, days before, if this set up works, there is a Bluetooth thermometer that measures temperature and humidity and sends you notifications to your phone every now and then with an app, so you can monitor the inside of the setup without having to open the lid! You have to be at home to be within the Bluetooth range though. So this is for experimenting before the day of.
- This is the solution to that conundrum I have figured out, I am open to discussion because I know people might have better ideas or suggestions but let me know what you think
- Links to products:
Phase 22 rigid panels
<edit>
Bluetooth thermometer/hygrometer
<edit>
insulated box
<edit>
Last edited by a moderator:
