Hi All -

I'm currently in what my more southern located friends are calling the "bitter frozen north" - we're at -11 this morning (at 10:30am!) and had a catastrophe last night.

Our duplex has hot water heat (generally great) but last night the downstairs neighbors came up to tell us that water was pouring into their house! They promptly (and rightly) shut off the water and heat...

Lefty, Rex, Cuff and Link (and me) are now without heat in a drafty house with NO HEAT!

Does anybody have suggestions on keeping my babies warm? Lefty (leo) is in a 20g tank, so I wrapped his in towels and moved the heat lamp closer, and he also has an undertank heater - but that's only getting him up to about 66. Rex (BABY beardy) is in a 35ish g tank with an ut heater, so I wrapped him too, and stuffed some fabrics behind the tank. His lamp is hard to get any closer without the bulb being REALLY close to the screen - but that's only getting him around 71. Meanwhile, my turtles are getting pretty chilled. The tank is the long low 40g breeder type that's really long, and I've draped as many towels over it as I've got. I plugged in their ut heater to try to help, but it's barely up to 60 - bad bad bad.

Any ideas on getting temps up? I thought about maybe turning on their night lights to add heat? My heating pad died, so I'm out of luck there. I do have a few little foot warmer pads, but I'm saving those for tonight - and I think they'll be more useful for the leo and beardy - they'll snuggle right up on them!

Wish me luck -and any ideas you might have I'm open too! (At least we've got power still!)

-Anna

Crap! I feel your pain,...been there!
Unless the screen is plastic getting the lamp close to it won't hurt it. Since your lights are working increase the wattage or number of your bulbs. For your dry animals place something that they can climb up on closer to the lamps.
If you have the means to heat water and some plastic soda bottles fill them with hot water and put those in the tanks. Or if you have access get the handwarmer packets from the sporting goods store. and then cover the tops with a blanket or folded towel to hold the heat in. Also wrap the tanks in blankets as glass lets heat through,
Be SURE to keep all heating devices away from any flamables!! If nothing else you can take the lizards out and hold them against your skin under a sweatshirt or blanket.
Good luck!

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Another thought, If you have any ice chests you can put the animals in pillowcases and put them in the icechest with the hotwater bottles or hand warmers. Do NOT close the chest completely. Leave a crack open for air!

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

ugh, good luck on this. I found wrapping the glass really helps. Add as many lamps as you can with stronger bulbs. The general tank heat temp may drop, but it will still be warm directly under those bulbs.

If you have sleeping bags, those REALLY keep the heat in. Wrap up in that if you have them.

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Oh jeez, that's horrible! I wish you all the luck in the world in getting your heat restored as quickly as possible!

__________________
~Juliane~

gosh I wish you all the luck and hope your babies are fine. Thank god you have electricity.

Thanks everyone, we're bundled up still, but the maintenance is going on as I type! My landlords are great, and have been working at it most of the day. Turns out the water dripping through the ceiling of the downstairs had nothing to do with our not having heat. Which of course I didn't figure out until I mentioned it this afternoon adn the men said "your heat's not on??" So around 5 they said "well, it's on, now" so I didn't think about it, figuring it would take a bit to come back on anyway. But by 7...nothing...and we fiddled with every nob we could find for a while, and finally got a hold of them agian...and back he came...
Right now, temps are not super, but okay. Lefty is staying in his fleece covered hut, Rex found the highest spot in his tank to sleep - directly under the night bulb, and turtles are under a 100W red night. I covered them and their light with a towel, and am boiling water for some bottles for lefty and also turtles.

Thanks for the thoughts. Right now the prognosis isn't good "looks like the registers might be frozen"

Keep us in your thoughts!
-Anna

stay warm

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Sorry to hear about your hard time. You've inspired me to buy a space heater for emergencies. Here I come again Home Depot.

Sending some warm wishes your way for the heat to come back on soon!

__________________
~Juliane~