Storm Preparations... What You Need to do for Your Pets...

[Decadancin]

So I often see people asking what to do if bad weather is approaching and there is the potential for prolonged power outages, loss of heating or air conditioning, no potable water, evacuation orders and countless other issues. It is always a good idea to have a plan before you actually need to think about it, but life can get in the way and we can be caught off guard sometimes.

I'd like to start a discussion about what plans you have and what you have done that has worked well. Obviously each situation is unique and there is no one answer, but what advice do you have?

 

[Decadancin]

I always suggest that you have plenty of feeders available, as well as a supply of water for your animals especially if there is the potential for businesses to be without power or supplies. For the most part healthy chameleons are able to handle a period of time without the perfect temps and even being moved if you need to evacuate, but having food and water around is important. A portable enclosure (some have used pop-up hampers made of mesh) isn't a bad idea either, as well as a clean, dedicated spray bottle for water only and even a dripper of some sort would be a great thing to have.

 

[Chameleomom]

These work pretty good for temporary homes

 

[Chameleomom]

I went and bought distilled water and I have the small drippers I can set over the cages., I have already separated the bugs I think I am going to need and gut loading them. As for the rest...this is a first for me, having a storm like this come through. I will learn what I did right and what I need to improve on if this ever happens again

 

[Decadancin]

I'm wondering if a small battery operated fan would be helpful just to keep enclosures fresh? Especially those that are mainly glass. Also, it can be pretty dark inside even during the day when there is no power, would a lantern for above the enclosure be helpful?

 

[Decadancin]

I would suggest finding out what hotels allow for pets in case evacuation becomes a necessity. You want to book early because they will fill up fast. Of course, if any medications are needed you will want an ample supply. It can be difficult to get a prescription filled away from home if you vet does not have power and can't be reached.

 

[dshuld]

One thing my parents always did when I was growing up and I continue to do today when the time is necessary is fill up several 35 gallon trash cans with water. I have four, though I should probably add another one or two now, that have never had anything but water in them in my garage. They are there as a back up water supply should we run out of bottled water or lose city water supply to the house. I can only remember one or two times actually having to use the water from the cans but, for those times bottled water is scarce in stores and you can't get enough to last a few days, it is as good of a back up plan as any others I've seen. Saves having to use bottled water to flush toilets if you lose city supply too .

 

[dshuld]

I'm wondering if a small battery operated fan would be helpful just to keep enclosures fresh? Especially those that are mainly glass. Also, it can be pretty dark inside even during the day when there is no power, would a lantern for above the enclosure be helpful?

Maybe a rechargeable fan? We have a small clip on fan that has a swappable battery but is also rechargeable via usb. With as scarce as batteries get during these times not sure how well adding more battery only operated stuff would work out depending on the battery size. If you had a decent supply of rechargeable batteries, power converter or two for the car and a couple of charging stations I could see it though. Sometimes being a vaper has it's bonuses when it comes to charging batteries .

 

[JacksJill]

I would suggest having the parts available to assemble a light trap to catch bugs at night. Like in this thread with pictures provided by
@Brodybreaux25 in case of an extended emergency.
In California we expect earthquakes at anytime so prepared household have 3 gallons of water per person and furry pet for at least 3 days. So I would add a 1/4-1/2 gallon per chameleon per day and a hand mister and/or dripper to deliver it.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Thanks Jill!

I realize most people are not in a position to build one of these while evacuating so it would be a lot easier to pack the sheet version of the trap.

A battery operated black light works best but if you don’t have one just grab one of those solar powered landscape lights instead of the black light. All you need to make this trap is a white sheet and the light, that’s literally it. String the top of the sheet about 5’ off the ground and point the light at it. This version takes longer than the generator version because it just can’t put out the same amount of light, just be patient!

 

[JacksJill]

A member here got stuck without bugs in the Houston flooding and I wish I'd know about these instead of sending him out with a makeshift bug net. it's a brilliant back up.

 

[NickTide]

Obviously things vary depending on climate but I live in the Maryland so I have to worry about fairly mild winters where 0 degrees is rare but 28 degree nights is common. We went without power for 10 days in winter once. I kept my dog, roaches, a plated lizard, 2 snakes and several aquariums (reef and fish) alive without power. I did have a small generator that ran a few hours a day. The wife and kids went to Grandmas for the time and I stayed home to keep the animals alive and the pipes thawed.

To prepare for the chams, you need to prepare for yourself. People need a minimum of 1/2 gallon of water per day, If you don't have plenty of water for yourself, forget about the chameleons. In the event of flooding, groundwater is almost always diseased and often contaminated with fuel, etc.. You can boil water (or treat with chlorine) to remove disease but not chemicals. Im not sure if this still holds true, but the CDC used to recommend at least 10 days of food and water to be stored. The cheapest way to store water is well rinsed 2 litre soda bottles filled with chlorinated water... either public water or use bleach or pool chlorine (aka pool shock) then put the lid on to keep it safe for about 5 years. You can look up the dosages.

Food. Another good reason to raise your own food. Dubias, can go months without food, water or much heat. They may not be as nutritious but something is better than nothing. Superworms can take a lot of abuse but will parish faster without some food/moisture. Either way, having some rabbit food in the freezer could be helpful if groceries are scarce. For water you could use a wet sponge or paper towel.

Heat. I have a wood stove plus a "Heat Buddy" that works on propane. stoves really dry out the air, but I'm going to estimate (only an estimate, no research) that veildes and panthers could go a week or 2 kept in a room that's 60 degrees (maybe even 50) with no hot spot so they wouldn't need to be in the same room as the stove where it's very dry. You can also put a pot of water on the stove to add a little moisture.

Evacuation. Never had to do this but if it's regional, be prepared that many places wont let you take them in, but you could probably sneak a small bird cage or butterfly cage into a hotel. Not so easy with a reptibreeze XL. For a few days you may need to pack them like they are being shipped. In a small container with a hand warmer heat pack. Be careful not to over heat. Hand warmers work with oxygen. you can reduce the heat output and lengthen their time by reducing oxygen. Taping them to a cooler lid with packing tape then poking a few small holes in the tape will do this.

If you are evacuating because your city is about to be hit by a hurricane, I would say, early evacuation is probably key. You probably cant take chams into a public shelter if the hotels are full. Get a days lead on the mass of people. Get a hotel room, drop the chams at a friends, stock up on water. Think about what New Orleans looked like a few years back. Now imagine trying to get through there with a chameleon.

 

[absolutbill]

If you are not evacuating, fill a bathtub with water to use to flush toilets. As an emergency backup plan to this you can use buckets and get water out of where it's standing (in Florida we all have culverts in the front of our houses, plus my backyard always floods), and pour a little bleach into it. Again, this is not drinking water for you or your animals, it's for flushing toilets.

Have a box or 2 of gloves available. When Irma hit my lanai was still standing, so for the week without power I would take my beardies and cham out to the porch to sit in the sun/shade all day. I built a partition on one side of the lanai for the dragons, but since they carry coccidia, and I didn't want to waste the water supply I would put on gloves, and carry them out. Then I'd discard the gloves and bring my veiled out and put him in his tree.

For emergencies have a shoe box with a small piece of bendy vine in it and store them under your cham cages. So, if you have an earthquake, fire, whatever happen, you can grab your animal, put it in the box, and not have to fiddle with the pop up laundry bags. I love those laundry bags, but this is a super-just-in-case emergency measure when you only have minutes to get out of your home.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

If you are not evacuating, fill a bathtub with water to use to flush toilets. As an emergency backup plan to this you can use buckets and get water out of where it's standing (in Florida we all have culverts in the front of our houses, plus my backyard always floods), and pour a little bleach into it. Again, this is not drinking water for you or your animals, it's for flushing toilets.

Have a box or 2 of gloves available. When Irma hit my lanai was still standing, so for the week without power I would take my beardies and cham out to the porch to sit in the sun/shade all day. I built a partition on one side of the lanai for the dragons, but since they carry coccidia, and I didn't want to waste the water supply I would put on gloves, and carry them out. Then I'd discard the gloves and bring my veiled out and put him in his tree.

For emergencies have a shoe box with a small piece of bendy vine in it and store them under your cham cages. So, if you have an earthquake, fire, whatever happen, you can grab your animal, put it in the box, and not have to fiddle with the pop up laundry bags. I love those laundry bags, but this is a super-just-in-case emergency measure when you only have minutes to get out of your home.

I definitely like the box-to-go idea for quick evacuations and glove idea.

 

[CJ's Exotics]

I'm wondering if a small battery operated fan would be helpful just to keep enclosures fresh? Especially those that are mainly glass. Also, it can be pretty dark inside even during the day when there is no power, would a lantern for above the enclosure be helpful?

Temperature can definitely be a problem, especially if you live in a very hot climate or cold climate, fans can definitely keep the air flowing so it does not feel very uncomfortable, especially if you live in a humid environment.

 

[dshuld]

If you are not evacuating, fill a bathtub with water to use to flush toilets. As an emergency backup plan to this you can use buckets and get water out of where it's standing (in Florida we all have culverts in the front of our houses, plus my backyard always floods), and pour a little bleach into it. Again, this is not drinking water for you or your animals, it's for flushing toilets.

Have a box or 2 of gloves available. When Irma hit my lanai was still standing, so for the week without power I would take my beardies and cham out to the porch to sit in the sun/shade all day. I built a partition on one side of the lanai for the dragons, but since they carry coccidia, and I didn't want to waste the water supply I would put on gloves, and carry them out. Then I'd discard the gloves and bring my veiled out and put him in his tree.

For emergencies have a shoe box with a small piece of bendy vine in it and store them under your cham cages. So, if you have an earthquake, fire, whatever happen, you can grab your animal, put it in the box, and not have to fiddle with the pop up laundry bags. I love those laundry bags, but this is a super-just-in-case emergency measure when you only have minutes to get out of your home.

What about those of us that don't have bathtubs or culverts in Florida ?

 

[absolutbill]

Fill a sink or 5 gallon buckets of water prior to the storm hitting. Trust me, you'll be thankful you did. We went through Wilma (5 days no power, 6 days no water because they couldn't set our well equipment back up 'til we had power), and this was a lifesaver. After that my hubby built a support wall around the well equipment and tightened it down with rachet straps. He also adapted our generator so that we could plug the well in at night to shower - makes a huge difference when you are sitting on the porch in 95 degree temps with 95% humidity, just feeling the sweat roll down your back for a week straight.

 

[dshuld]

Fill a sink or 5 gallon buckets of water prior to the storm hitting. Trust me, you'll be thankful you did. We went through Wilma (5 days no power, 6 days no water because they couldn't set our well equipment back up 'til we had power), and this was a lifesaver. After that my hubby built a support wall around the well equipment and tightened it down with rachet straps. He also adapted our generator so that we could plug the well in at night to shower - makes a huge difference when you are sitting on the porch in 95 degree temps with 95% humidity, just feeling the sweat roll down your back for a week straight.

Lol I was being somewhat of a smart ass. I was born here and understand believe me . We switched to the 35 gallon trash cans because of sewers being overwhelmed and ending up with backflow into the tub one year. Where I was being serious is my current house has a ~1-8 pitch curb not very conducive to collecting water from and two showers but no tub. The main shower could hold probably 60+ gallons in the floor pan but it doesn't have a drain stop.

 

[Decadancin]

Of course, in colder months it is a good idea to have either a camp stove or barbecue that can be used to heat water and a Hot Water Bottle that can be filled and placed into an enclosure to help warm the air. Others have used heat packs to help with raising temps. Both methods must be done with care not to burn the animal of course.

The other option that I have heard for temporary solution of a few days is to simply black out (using a blanket or towels) the enclosure and allow the animal to just ride out the time in the dark. They will be inactive and can be that way for days at a time with no harm. My advice here is to unplug everything just in case power comes back on. You don't need to have a fire on top of everything else going on.

 

[Decadancin]

It would be a good idea to have your pet's vet information available in case you need to contact them. I would also suggest that this information be kept with your pet (in enclosure) during any evacuations just in case you get separated from them. There is at least a chance that someone will contact the vet and you may be reunited with them. Also, I would have a recent photo of your pet on you in case you need to show proof of ownership.