Planned Power/Heat Outage: How I'm Preparing to Keep my Tarantulas Warm

[Gevo]

This is a discussion post, not a question post: I've got a planned power/heat outage happening tomorrow for some major utility work happening in my area, so I thought I'd share what I'm doing to help keep my tarantulas safe. I'm in Canada, and it's winter!

A few things about my context:
- The outage will be up to 7 hours long. This is a planned outage, and it's relatively minor, not an emergency situation where my community would be kicking up gas-powered generators and all that.
- My collection is very small. I have only two tarantulas, but this would be scalable for some folks with small collections.
- We're not in the middle of a deep freeze, so that also changes things a lot. I don't expect the indoor temperatures to drop to freezing, but I do expect to see things go into the 10-15C (50-60F) range, and I just want to have a few contingencies in place in case the heat loss is higher than anticipated or the outage extends for longer than planned.
- This outage is happening in stages in my community, and I have neighbours who aren't impacted on the same day who have already said that they will keep my tarantulas in their houses in a safe spot if we need to go that route.
- Space heaters, heat mats, etc. are of no use to me because this is a power and heating outage.

So, in other words, this isn't for natural disaster contingency planning or for managing outages in extreme temps, but maybe someone scanning the threads for how to keep tarantulas warm under similar circumstances will benefit.

1. I'll be raising my indoor temperature overnight tonight, so we'll be starting the day warmer than usual.
2. I'll be moving my tarantulas to the warmest room in the house, which is an interior basement bathroom with no windows or external walls, and I'll be closing the door. This is where we'll see the least heat loss in the house.
3. I'll be placing the enclosures in insulated bags to help keep the temperatures inside stable. I don't think airflow will be an issue for the few hours they're in there because tarantulas survive being packed, boxed, and shipped in containers with minimal airflow, but nonetheless, I'll keep the bags cracked a bit on the side so there's a bit of airflow.
4. I have battery-powered thermometers I can use to monitor the ambient temperatures in the bags.
5. I have some air-activated toe warmer and hand warmer packs that I can tape to the sides of the enclosures if I need to, though I don't expect I will. Some thoughts I'm having about those are that the packs reach about 50C at max temperature, which is comfortable to the touch for a body with a circulatory system that moves heat around the body and away from the source or in a more open environment where the heat dissipates into the air but could raise temperatures too high if they're working in an insulated environment, and also that they work by oxidizing the iron shavings inside them and letting off heat through that chemical process (they rust, basically!), and I don't want them using up the oxygen in an insulated bag. So, if I use them at all, it will be with the bags opened up to allow for more airflow, and it'll be closely monitored.

I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[A guy]

Since you only have two, a cooler with those hand warmers inside would be the easiest.

I have a hundred something and had to endure more than a week of no heating due to electrical problems in the house I'm currently living in and this was in the middle of Canadian winter. I bundled all of the enclosures together, scattered some hand warmers and covered everything with comforters. No losses and no problems whatsoever. Some even molted during it.

 

[NMTs]

If you had more time to plan I would suggest getting some purpose-made heat packs (ones that are designed to heat shipping cartons with reptiles/fish/inverts in them) and use those instead of the hand warmers. The hand/toe warmers will work in a pinch, but you're right that they get too hot to be a good option - they will get really hot for a short amount of time, compared to the shipping heat packs that are formulated to release a relatively even amount of heat over a longer period of time. Most will increase ambient temps by about 10 degrees F, and you can get them in 20, 30, 40, 60, 72, 96, and 120 hour increments, depending on how long you need them to work. No matter which type you use, they should not be applied directly to the enclosure if it can be avoided, but rather put them in a larger container and let them warm the air inside as has been mentioned already. I would suggest that anyone who keeps pets like inverts or reptiles should have a few of these heat packs on hand, even if they never plan to ship any of their animals. You never know when something like this might come up, so best to be prepared.

Altogether, it sounds like a good plan. Hope you put as much thought into how you're going to keep yourself warm during this outage, LOL!

 

[Gevo]

Since you only have two, a cooler with those hand warmers inside would be the easiest.

That's pretty much the plan. The insulated bags I'm talking about are cooler bags. I don't think I'll need the hand warmers but have them just in case.

If you had more time to plan I would suggest getting some purpose-made heat packs (ones that are designed to heat shipping cartons with reptiles/fish/inverts in them) and use those instead of the hand warmers.

[...]

Altogether, it sounds like a good plan. Hope you put as much thought into how you're going to keep yourself warm during this outage, LOL!

Yeah, I was thinking about that and am going to get some of those packs for the future. I use the hand and foot warmers for winter cycling when it's below about -15C, and they can get quite warm for periods of time, and while they work great for hands and feet, they're a poorly controlled heating system.

And thanks! I'll be fine with some extra sweaters and socks, I'm sure. The outage is for up to 7 hours, but they usually try to limit it because they don't want to have to reimburse people for lost frozen food or burst pipes or anything, but one of my neighbours said their outage was for 6 hours.

 

[Atabby]

If you had more time to plan I would suggest getting some purpose-made heat packs (ones that are designed to heat shipping cartons with reptiles/fish/inverts in them) and use those instead of the hand warmers. The hand/toe warmers will work in a pinch, but you're right that they get too hot to be a good option - they will get really hot for a short amount of time, compared to the shipping heat packs that are formulated to release a relatively even amount of heat over a longer period of time. Most will increase ambient temps by about 10 degrees F, and you can get them in 20, 30, 40, 60, 72, 96, and 120 hour increments, depending on how long you need them to work. No matter which type you use, they should not be applied directly to the enclosure if it can be avoided, but rather put them in a larger container and let them warm the air inside as has been mentioned already. I would suggest that anyone who keeps pets like inverts or reptiles should have a few of these heat packs on hand, even if they never plan to ship any of their animals. You never know when something like this might come up, so best to be prepared.

Altogether, it sounds like a good plan. Hope you put as much thought into how you're going to keep yourself warm during this outage, LOL!

Who carries the shipping warmers?
I'm in Oregon and we usually have mild winters, but can get some very low dips, the last power outage of any significance was before we had the tarantulas.
I would like to be prepared in the event of something.

 

[NMTs]

Who carries the shipping warmers?
I'm in Oregon and we usually have mild winters, but can get some very low dips, the last power outage of any significance was before we had the tarantulas.
I would like to be prepared in the event of something.

The manufacturer of the ones I use is Uniheat, so if you search for "uniheat heat packs" you'll find lots of places that sell them - reptile & aquarium supply stores, animal shipping companies, even the jungle conglomerate sells them.

 

[xenesthis]

All that time, work, expense, stress....move south!

 

[NMTs]

All that time, work, expense, stress....move south!

Further south isn't always warmer, lol...


I would like these polar vortex things to go back to the polar areas...

 

[Gevo]

The manufacturer of the ones I use is Uniheat, so if you search for "uniheat heat packs" you'll find lots of places that sell them - reptile & aquarium supply stores, animal shipping companies, even the jungle conglomerate sells them.

I checked, and my local reptile shop sells those, so I’ll grab a few next time I’m there. Thanks for the tip!

 

[viper69]

Further south isn't always warmer, lol...
View attachment 489199

I would like these polar vortex things to go back to the polar areas...

the city’s elevation is relevant here. I hike in high desert frequently- it’s 32-34 by sunset on average.

 

[Brewser]

Semper Paratus
Always Ready
Be prepared for any eventuality,

Best Regards,

 

[Charliemum]

It won't help you much this time but you could always invest in a camping battery and then you could run a little space heater in a room for the spoods and you keep everyone warm.
I want to say I don't own one myself but saw one when I was watching desert drifter the other day n thought it would be a great idea for emergency spood warmth, so thought I would pass the idea on. I haven't looked into them but it wouldn't take much to Google it for any interested .

Gl to you n your spoods n can I just say great neighbours .

 

[Gevo]

It won't help you much this time but you could always invest in a camping battery and then you could run a little space heater in a room for the spoods and you keep everyone warm.
I want to say I don't own one myself but saw one when I was watching desert drifter the other day n thought it would be a great idea for emergency spood warmth, so thought I would pass the idea on. I haven't looked into them but it wouldn't take much to Google it for any interested .

Gl to you n your spoods n can I just say great neighbours .

Also a great idea—thank you!

And yes, I do have great neighbours. I’m in a very tight-knit community, and we all help each other out. Some even checked in last night to make sure everything was going to plan because they were worried about my tarantulas!

 

[Charliemum]

Also a great idea—thank you!

And yes, I do have great neighbours. I’m in a very tight-knit community, and we all help each other out. Some even checked in last night to make sure everything was going to plan because they were worried about my tarantulas!

Np and wow that's amazing when I was young we lived in a village that was like that but now we live in a larger town there's non of that. It's lovely to hear there are still places like that in the world

 

[Gevo]

My husband texted to say the heat's back on and the house barely lost any heat in the 4 hours it was off for. I just got home and checked on everyone, and everyone is just dandy. The cooler bags weren’t even necessary, but I’m still glad to have played it safe.

There was a communication mishap about this outage, and half the community thought they weren’t going to be affected, so there were a bunch of us that had a bit of a scramble. Hopefully, this thread comes in handy for another keeper at some point!

 

[TheraMygale]

I was going to suggest cooler bags or those foam insulate boxes they sell for fish and stuff. But you thought of it. So you did everything i wouldve.

shipping heat packs can also be bought at tarantula dealers in canada.

as well as those hot paws packs. They work. We use them at work. Its fascinating how warm they are. One of our collegues has kids in the army, and thats how we got to test them.

good prep work!

 

[tybaltPOC]

You can get UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) for fairly inexpensive. They have a lithium battery in them that kicks on if the power goes out. Typically, they're used for PCs, so if you get one and hook it up to whatever you use to keep them warm, it's at least a temporary fix that'll keep a couple heat pads going for 2-3 hours, more if you want to buy the expensive ones. Cons are once the lithium battery is drained, they have to be plugged in to recharge, and they aren't quiet when they're going. I used them for my pythons during the winter and it probably saved their lives when my power went out while I was at work.

 

[TheraMygale]

You can get UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) for fairly inexpensive. They have a lithium battery in them that kicks on if the power goes out. Typically, they're used for PCs, so if you get one and hook it up to whatever you use to keep them warm, it's at least a temporary fix that'll keep a couple heat pads going for 2-3 hours, more if you want to buy the expensive ones. Cons are once the lithium battery is drained, they have to be plugged in to recharge, and they aren't quiet when they're going. I used them for my pythons during the winter and it probably saved their lives when my power went out while I was at work.

any portable power source will need recharging. I mean, even propane generators will need propane once its out.

nice idea. I will go look them up just out of curiousity. Any new power supply gadet is interesting. The “battery” booster packs are the same. Just a shame the cold sucks the energy out. Atleast they are worth it if you have them in the car while on the road.

cant wait for a power supply that isnt cold weak.

 

[tybaltPOC]

any portable power source will need recharging. I mean, even propane generators will need propane once its out.

nice idea. I will go look them up just out of curiousity. Any new power supply gadet is interesting. The “battery” booster packs are the same. Just a shame the cold sucks the energy out. Atleast they are worth it if you have them in the car while on the road.

cant wait for a power supply that isnt cold weak.

I misspoke. What I meant to say was that the power has to come back on to recharge it, but it's the same idea. I paid $200+ for the one I have hooked up to my PC, and it'll keep it going for ~15 minutes in a blackout. I've never tested it, but mine reads 6.5 hours with a small heating pad and a lamp. It's good if you have one, but can be expensive. The ones that'll keep a pad and a light going for around 2-3 hours run ~$50.

The PC world and animal husbandry colliding.

 

[TheraMygale]

I misspoke. What I meant to say was that the power has to come back on to recharge it, but it's the same idea. I paid $200+ for the one I have hooked up to my PC, and it'll keep it going for ~15 minutes in a blackout. I've never tested it, but mine reads 6.5 hours with a small heating pad and a lamp. It's good if you have one, but can be expensive. The ones that'll keep a pad and a light going for around 2-3 hours run ~$50.

The PC world and animal husbandry colliding.

I got your meaning. No external power source is inifinite. That would be the ultimate world saving gadget.

the pc world and animal husbandry is hand in hand on so many levels. It just makes sense.

to me, you need to be a hardware geek to keep inverts and reptiles/amphibians. Or have a passion for hooking things up.

power outages are a huge issue for keepers, north or south.

we talk a lot about cold weather keepers. But extreme heat in a house that is badly ventilated is just as worse.

Mech gear is expensive. Its part of the game. All the extras… i can just imagine a dart frog colony keeper going awol when power is out in -35c.