A first-hand account from Central Mississippi Turtle Rescue, USA
“When severe storms passed through over the last few nights, we had a complete power cut. Temperatures were falling steadily – a drop of more than 20 °C had been forecast.
As we had a generator, we initially assumed we would have no problems. So we brought all the turtles and tortoises in from their enclosures into a building to keep them warm with the generator.
But then the generator failed too. As a result, at 4 o’clock in the morning we had to move all the animals again – including our large tortoise Wall-E: this time into our van, in the middle of cold wind and mud, and keep the engine running until midday so that they would not get chilled.
The next day, we bought a new generator and a gas heater, so that hopefully this will not happen again.”
A first-hand account from Central Mississippi Turtle Rescue
What we can learn from this: an emergency plan for power cuts
Even though most keepers look after far fewer reptiles, the basic rule applies to everyone:
Every reptile keeper should have an emergency plan for power cuts – ideally more than one.
Preparation is crucial, especially in very low temperatures and with the possibility of snow or ice.
Key tips for an emergency:
- Prepare before the emergency: do not wait until the power has already gone.
- Have several back-up plans: one plan alone is often not enough.
- Plan for power cuts and keep a gas heater or generator ready: even reliable grids can fail, as the major power cut in Berlin showed.
- Test generators regularly: at least once a month.
- Suitable transport containers: small, easily insulated containers – made of polystyrene, for example – are easier to keep warm than large vivaria.
- Keep towels to hand: for padding and additional insulation.
- Use hand warmers and heat packs only with care: they can become very hot – always wrap them and check them closely with an infrared thermometer.
- Use warm water: if still available, fill bottles with warm water, wrap them, and place them in a cool box. Put the animal in with them, leave the box slightly open for ventilation, and check regularly.
Tip: a ready-packed emergency box for each animal (e.g. a transport container (in German), towels, a heat source, and a thermometer) saves valuable time when it matters and is helpful in many kinds of emergency.
👉 Preparation can save lives – please make sure in good time that there is a safe emergency plan for ectothermic pets that depend on warmth.
Power cuts during refrigerator brumation
For tortoises brumating in a refrigerator, a battery-powered wireless thermometer with an audible alarm covers power and internet failures. How the refrigerator is safeguarded is described in the Refrigerator Brumation Checklist and in detail in the Refrigerator Brumation Handbook.
Back-up equipment
For smaller technical problems and failures, keeping back-up equipment (in German) to hand is also recommended.