General Care Discussion :: What should I do when the power goes out?

[Nettle]

In northeast Ohio, during the winter, we have frequent power outages. What should I do for them when everything's off?

[Bumby's Mom]

How old are your turtles? If they are adults I would think they should be fine. Babies are a different stoey and I am really not sure about what to do for them. I have the same question

[Starchick]

How long does your power stay out for?

[octpusgirl8]

Covering the tank will help to keep heat in, that would be my only real concern unless the power was going to be out for days at a time.

[Nettle]

They are 2 and 2.5 inches and less than a year old. It usually only stays out for a few hours, but it will occasionally go out for 12 hours or more in a really bad storm.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Your best bet is to go storm-by-storm. If it's out for a couple hours, even with little guys, you'll probably be fine, unless you feel that your temps are dropping rapidly. If it's out for more than a couple hours, I'd monitor the temp with a battery operated or regular thermometer and add hot water (you hopefully have a gas stove, otherwise, I don't know how to boil water) as needed, careful not to increase the water too rapidly. I'd also insulate the tank with a towel or blanket. And worst case scenario, your turtles should be fine if the temp decreases for a couple days. They may lose their appetite, but they should survive a few days in the cold.

[mikee]

Nett - If your tank is not outside and it is not freezing they will do fine. I assume that they are at the proper temp. when the power goes out. The temp. change will be very gradual. What ever you do, don't change their temp rapidly. Don't pour hot water in the tank.

[Nettle]

Thanks! We had a power outage the other day and I was panicking because our house is cold in general and our stove is electric. The temp went down into the 60's, but the power came back on (thankfully). Thank you for everyone's input!!

[N4784N R4613]

The water temp. is the only thing you should worry about when the power goes out. They will be fine without a filter, or basking lights for a couple of days.

[marisa]

To slow down the heat loss, wrap the tank with some insulating material (a towel, for example) and cover it. When it's dark, they're going to sleep and should be fine.

[hdaisog]

I had a similar issue awhile ago when they accidentally cut the power cord to my neighborhood. I didn't have electricity for 3 days, but my hot water heater was gas so I put them in my bathtub. I rinsed the tub out with vinegar and water first and put rocks and lamps in there to bask. Luckily we had a seperate shower.

The heaters don't use too much electricity though so you might check into emergency battery packs.