What do you do when you travel?

[Ophion]

I am interested in what you typically do it you have to go out of town for a few days, a weeks or two or even longer. I don't travel often being in school (and on a college budget), but there I do go somewhere every once in a blue moon to keep my sanity. (though rarely longer than a few days) Generally it has been easy - the cat goes for boarding and the flying squirrel comes with me. I can get my family to check in if they are around, but you can bet no one in my family would be picking up Ophion much less feeding him.

So what do you do when you go out of town?

 

[jessicalb]

Nobody feeds the snakes if we are out of town. I wouldn't leave a hatchling for more than a couple of weeks, and that's only after they are gaining weight and eating well.

I would ask someone to change the water and look in on them for temps and possible disaster once a week or so. So far we have never done that - we've never been gone more than about 5 days.

I just wouldn't want someone other than us feeding unless it was an emergency situation. I feel like there are so many possible issues with feeding that I just don't want anyone else to mess with it. If something is going to go wrong, I'd rather it go wrong in my hands where I see and experience it all and can make good decisions to try to fix the situation.

 

[bitsy]

If I just have adults in the house, they're fine without any attention for a long weekend or even a week (although I'd rather get the water changed a couple of times).

If I want to go away for more than a week, I'm lucky enough to have a mother who adores snakes. Although she doesn't feed them (my adults are all fed no more than once a fortnight anyway - some of them less), she's very happy to reach into the vivs to change water a couple of times a week and isn't spooked if they come out to see what's happening. My habitual biter goes to "boarding school" though! Don't want my Mum getting nommed on.

Bottom line is that I organise any longer holidays around my snakes. Generally during the winter when they're less active, eat less, females aren't gravid or recovering from laying and there are no hatchlings in the house. Been that way for 20 years now and I haven't found it a problem.

 

[toxiclight]

Honestly? With three adults and three kids in the house, it's rare we can afford to get away for more than a day or two anyway. And the snakes are okay for that length of time.

 

[Nanci]

If you travel, some things to consider are:

It's best not to have someone feed the snakes, or even change the water, if that can be avoided. This is how escapes happen. The snakes' enclosures don't get secured properly after an unfamiliar person accesses them.

I like to have someone stop by, _look_ at the waters, add water if necessary, but not do any unnecessary water changes or anything like that.

Someone can always just pour water through a screen lid without opening the viv, and you can leave two water bowls for each snake in case one gets pooped in.

If you have an adult snake you can time feeding so the snake has pooped before you leave, lessening the change of him pooping in the water bowl.

I like to unplug heating devices if I am going to be gone during warm weather. That way, nothing can malfunction while I am gone.

I think the thing that I worry about the most is an AC failure. So I have someone check my house once a day, and have a back-up portable AC in the living room where most of the snakes are housed, just in case.

 

[Dorgrim]

I usually just turn the temps down by 5 degrees just in case, set the thermostat to make sure it doesnt get over a certain temp in the house and head out! Usually they are fine and have no issues what so ever. I try not to be gone longer than a week or so though, because water bowls do need refilling eventually. Sometimes though if i know im going to be gone longer, I will swap out for a larger bowl if its really dry or hot.