# what to do when you lose power



## moswen (Jan 30, 2011)

hey all, i miss my forum! lol, that's how you can tell a TFO junkie, i've only been on a few minutes at a time (via my cell phone) for almost 2 weeks bc my internet card is down, and i miss it! 

anyways, we're forecasted to get 1 inch of freezing rain and sleet and 5-12 inches (what a gap!) of snow on top of that tomorrow night! so, if we lose electricity, HOW AM I GOING TO KEEP MY BABIES WARM??!!! 

i was thinking about those hand warmers, they last for 12 hours, i could put the torts in smaller homes and change out the heat pads every morning and every night. i don't anticipate losing power for very long if at all, in the infamous '07 blackout we only lost power for like less than 3 hours lol! our housing edition is in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees so i think that helped protect our power lines. but, just in case, i want my babies taken care of! 

does anyone know what to do or have suggestions?


----------



## Edna (Jan 30, 2011)

Short term you can keep them warm with the hand warmers in a cooler. I still have the styrofoam-lined shipping box I got my torts in. I added a divider so the two leos can use one side and my hermann's can use the other and I added a handwarmer to each side. Our power was out for 4 hours a week ago Saturday AM.


----------



## Shelly (Jan 30, 2011)

Stick one under each armpit.


----------



## CtTortoiseMom (Jan 30, 2011)

Okay I had this idea... Do you have a gas stove or fireplace? If so you could put them in a smaller container and keep them close enough to stay warm. But, it would def suck all the humidity out of the air so you would gave to mist them or soak them frequently. Geez, I never considered losing power. I am going to come up with a plan of my own now. Thanks for the post!


----------



## DoctorCosmonaut (Jan 30, 2011)

Shelly said:


> Stick one under each armpit.



HAHA! You made my day


----------



## Tom (Jan 30, 2011)

They make 48 hour hand warmers. I bought a case not too long ago.

Hot water in bottles works well too. Even if power goes out, you should still have gas. Five gallon jugs full of hot water will keep an enclosure warm for a while, especially if you put a blanket over the whole thing.


----------



## terryo (Jan 30, 2011)

Last year when we lost our power, and I only had one tort, I wrapped him up in a hand towel, and put him in my pj top. So it was me, three little dogs, and Pio all under some big comfortors in my bed. Pio never moved all night, and stayed nice and warm. If I get another power loss, I'm using the hot water bottle advice.


----------



## Madkins007 (Jan 31, 2011)

Short-term options:
- many species can tolerate lower temps pretty well in the short term, so you don't need to maintain 85-90's during this time, but the bigger and faster the temp drop, the more likely to cause stress.
- keep it with you so body heat keeps it warm. Some keepers have even slept with their herds under the covers
- Put them in a cooler or insulated box of some sort and use handwarmers, oven-heated bricks, hot water bottles, etc. for as long as possible. I have a camping stove and plenty of fuel. Keeping water boiling on the porch or deck is rather easy.
- 'pack them'- smallish insulated box, pack the tortoise with wadded paper, etc. as if you were going to ship it. It is easier to keep them warm this way and they should be OK even overnight like this if needed.

Longer-term options:
- transport somewhere warm. Mine would go to work with me, my office is warm and relatively private. A friend or relative with power, etc. and a simplified tub set-up. 

Afterwards: long warm soak, nice warm lamps, and good food.


----------



## moswen (Jan 31, 2011)

HAHA shelly!! well, between me, the hubbs, and kaylynn we'd have exactly enough armpits if it comes to that!

i got a bunch of handwarmers today, walmart only has the 10 hour ones though. 

thanks everyone, i may have to go with the hot water bottle idea if we really do lose it until this weekend (which is when it's supposed to melt), but we have a tankless... so i figured i could just boil water and mix it with cold because we do have a gas stove. i also figured we could put them on the pool table bc it's right next to the fire place but mostly because it's above the dog's reach--- VERY important. i also got some very small tubs today and i've brought in mulch and dirt for substrate, so that it won't be 0 degrees if i need it, and i've got the hand warmers right next to it! and the only one that really needs his excersize is mos, he's the overly-active one so we could set out a blanket infront of the fireplace and he can excersize hihis little legs until they can't move anymore if he needs it. 

i feel great now hearing everyone's responses, i'm ready for this! lol, i'll ALMOST be disappointed if the power doesn't go out now.... haha, _almost...._


----------



## Maggie Cummings (Jan 31, 2011)

I have to travel a lot with small tortoises and I use the Hot Hands regularly. They work great, be sure to put paper towels over them so a small tortoise cannot get burned as they do get pretty hot at first. I have also used the hot water in a mayo jar routine when my own power went out. That works good but you have to put the tort and the hot jar in a smaller container, and be sure to wrap a towel around the jar, again, so the tort cannot get burned...I was reading about the weather...good luck with it as I see you are really gonna get hit.


----------



## tortoisenerd (Jan 31, 2011)

As long as you can keep them night temps (60 F for many species), they will be fine in the short term...they will just rest. The plan at our house is to use a hand warmer with a cover (the chemicals in them would be bad if a tort bit it open)...but make sure your tort has a spot to get off of them. Your house and especially your enclosure will keep some heat for awhile, so just have an accurate thermometer like a temp gun on hand, and your back up plan for heating, and don't worry. Once the enclosure becomes too cold, you want to put them in a small container with the heat device on one side and keep them dark. Great suggestions here!


----------



## Madkins007 (Feb 1, 2011)

tortoisenerd said:


> Your house and especially your enclosure will keep some heat for awhile,



I found this comment kind of funny. It is 8f here in Omaha this morning. When we have lost power in the past in the winter, our old, poorly insulated house fell below 50f in a couple of hours, although it did stay above freezing for almost a day in the middle rooms. The moisture in the Red-foot habitats helped cool them off quickly as well.

This just reminds us that different people will have different challenges when emergencies hit.

It also makes me wonder again why the bejeebers I am trying to raise Red-foots in this place!


----------



## TylerStewart (Feb 3, 2011)

I use 72 hour heat packs in extreme cold weather shipping, which stay warm even if the shipment gets delayed a day (or two). Also makes a great backup plan for keeping babies warm if you needed to. 

http://www.tsksupply.com/products/72-Hour-Shipping-Warmer.html


----------

