What Happens When A Snake Gets Too Cold? 7 Warning Signs!
Snakes and other reptiles are ectothermic, which means they get their heat from the environment.
The sun or something made by people, like a light, could be the source of the heat.
Snakes can’t make their own body heat, so if they can’t find a warm place, their bodies will take on the temperature of their surroundings.
If it’s too cold outside, the snake will take in that cold, which is bad for their health.
What Happens To A Snake When It Gets Too Cold
Snakes in the wild are getting ready for winter. They either choose a safe place to stay or dig holes in the ground to keep warm. They go into a state called “brutation,” in which they do less but still eat and drink.
They can go into a state similar to hibernation even when the temperature is controlled. It’s just what they want to do.
This is why it’s important not to let the cage get too cold, since snakes aren’t made to stay outside in the cold for long periods of time. They need an outside source of heat to stay warm so they can live and grow.
1. Snakes Can Develop Respiratory Infections
Snakes can get sick, just like people.
For their immune systems to work properly, snakes need heat. Because of this, your snake can get sick if it doesn’t have enough heat.
Plus, they live in a cold climate, which makes it easy for viruses and bacteria to grow.
Here are some signs that you have an infection in your lungs:
- Nasal discharge
- Wheezing
- Loss of appetite
- Excess mucus in the mouth
- Lethargy
- The mouth is always open to breathe
- Making gurgling sounds
2. Snakes Can Get Hypothermia
Snakes with hypothermia are tired, their scales are dry, their eyes are sunken, and they don’t want to eat. The most scary thing about having a snake that is too cold to move is that it won’t even move to eat or drink.
Because of this, they get thirsty and hungry. If a snake doesn’t move, it will almost certainly die from the cold. In this study, it was shown that snakes can handle freezing temperatures for a short time.
Snakes can handle overnight frosts even if they don’t go underground. Their brumation instinct, on the other hand, is not enough to keep them alive in the cold for a long time.
3. Snakes Can Vomit And Regurgitate Their Food
Because snakes use thermoregulation to control how their bodies work, when it stops working, they have to change how their bodies work.
With the help of heat or a basking area, your snakes will be able to digest their food well when the conditions in their cage are just right.
During this time, your snake might get nervous and try to throw up everything in its stomach to save energy that it could have used for digestion.
4. Snakes Will Refuse Food
When it gets too cold for snakes, their instincts to stay alive kick in. They try to save energy and don’t care much about food.
If your snake used to eat a lot and then stopped, you should check the temperature of its enclosure right away.
Snakes would rather not eat than risk throwing up because they can’t digest it and it will take more energy to digest without heat.
5. Snakes Become Lethargic
When a snake has been in cold weather for a long time, it will refuse to eat, drink, or even move. This makes you feel sleepy. Slow snakes can barely lift their heads.
Right now, your snake doesn’t have enough energy to do anything. It will just stay in one place until the weather gets better.
In this study, it was found that boas and pythons have different ways of dealing with “fatal cold.”
Some people try to do less and look for ways to get warm so they can stay alive.
On the other hand, some people don’t care enough to deal with the cold.
6. The Snake Goes Dormant
People often mistake this behaviour for hibernation, but snakes don’t do that; only mammals do. This is called “brumation,” and the body’s temperature, heart rate, and breathing rate all drop.
It’s similar to taking a long vacation. In this way, it is like hibernation, but the heart rate and breathing rate don’t slow down.
Snakes mate when the temperature is around 60 degrees, but breeders say that 55 degrees is best.
To brood, the snake needs a hibernaculum, or a place to sleep, and it stays still until the temperature rises.
During the hottest part of the day, it might wander around looking for a sunny spot. Other than that, it will not do anything.
7. They Can Die When They Get Too Cold
If your snake has been kept in a very cold place for a long time, it will die. Cold shock syndrome, which can happen when someone freezes, could be the cause of death.
When the sudden drop in temperature is too much for the snake’s body to handle, the systems in its body slowly shut down.
Add to that the possibility that your snake already has a lung problem and hasn’t eaten or drunk in days. It’s a terrible way to go.
Why Do Snakes Require Heat?
Snakes can’t control their body temperature like humans can because they are cold-blooded. In order for their bodies to do things like move, digest, and reproduce, they need to take in heat.
In the wild, snakes tend to live in places that are always warm. It is their main source of heat, but they also need a place to warm up in the sun. Snakes sun themselves on rocks or trees to stay healthy.
When a snake is kept indoors as a pet, the owner must provide a heat source because the snake can’t get heat from the sun. The snake’s tank needs a heater to keep the temperature steady.
You must also give the snake a place to “bathe” when it needs to raise its body temperature to help with digestion and energy production.
Remember that a snake doesn’t always like to bask. The snake also needs time to cool down.
What Temperature Is Too Cold for Snakes?
Different species of snakes have different minimum temperatures below which they can’t survive. When the temperature drops below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, all snakes start to act badly.
However, the exact needs vary from species to species. Here is a list of the temperatures that pet snakes need:
| Species | Basking Spot Temperature | Ambient Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Corn Snake: | 85 degrees | 75 degrees |
| Ball Python: | 90 degrees | 80 degrees |
| Boa Constrictor: | 90 degrees | 75 degrees |
| Hognose Snake: | 88 degrees | 78 degrees |
| California Kingsnake: | 85 degrees | 75 degrees |
| Rosy Boa: | 85 degrees | 75 degrees |
| Gopher Snake: | 85 degrees | 75 degrees |
Can Snakes Survive in Snow?
Snakes can’t live in the snow because it’s too cold. If your snake sits in snow and ice for a long time, it will die from freezing.
The snake must dig deeper than the frost line, which is very important. At this temperature, the ground freezes. If the snake stays below the frost line, it can stay alive. But if ice and frozen ground are all around it, it will die.
A boa constrictor, which lives in the tropics, can’t live in snow. It is used to warmer temperatures and can’t dig tunnels.
If it came in contact with snow, it would die. But some snakes, like the timber rattlesnake, can survive harsh winters and hide in burrows.
Can Snakes Survive in Cold Water?
Cold water is rougher to the touch than cold air. Air doesn’t carry heat as well as water does. Because of this, an animal’s body heat leaves its body faster in water than in the same-temperature air. This makes the animal lose heat faster, so a snake will die quickly in really cold water.
Snakes that live in water are called “water snakes.” On the other hand, these snakes spend most of their time near rivers. There are also snakes that live in the water, like sea snakes. On the other hand, these snakes live in the sea and can handle colder temperatures.
Snakes have ways to stay alive that are built into them, but there is a reason they don’t live in colder climates.
How Long Can Snakes Live Without Heat?
Snakes can stay alive in 75°F temperatures for about six hours before their bodies start to shut down. Any temperature below 75°F makes it harder for your snake to stay alive without heat, and even a few hours in temperatures below 65°F can kill it.
Think about the fact that snakes don’t bite each other. If your snake is pouting, it’s likely because the temperature is too low.
Can Snakes Come Back To Life After Freezing?
Snakes that have been frozen do not come back to life. Even if a snake survives being in extremely cold temperatures, most of its systems have already shut down.
This includes its brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and so on. So, even after being thawed for 24 hours, the snake could not live.
What Should Be Done If the Heat Is Off?
Everyone has been without power at some point in their lives. It won’t be fun for the snake, and the longer the power is out, the more worried it will get.
Sometimes the tank’s heat source stops working, and you can’t get to the shop quickly to get a new one.
Place Hot Water Bottles In The Tank
Fill a few water bottles with hot water and put them in the snake’s tank to help it warm up.
Generate A Gradient
Give the snake a thermal gradient, or a change in temperature, on a regular basis. The difference in temperatures lets the snake either heat up or cool down. This can be done by putting a heater at one end of the tank to create a warm side and a cold side.
No matter what kind of snake it is, most of them have a set schedule for basking and chilling.
Radiant Heating Panels
Heat panels have many advantages over other ways to heat a room because they don’t give off visible light. Some snakes, on the other hand, may be able to feel the heat coming from the panel just like they would any other warm thing in their environment.
Even though you can’t use a thermostat with the serpent’s lights, you can and should use it with the radiant heat panel.
Lastly, radiant heat panels don’t get as hot as hot rocks or light bulbs, so they won’t kill your reptile.
Keep An Eye On the Temperature
Not only do snake keepers need radiant heat panels, but they also need a thermostat and a digital thermometer to make sure their reptiles have the best environment possible.
Because ta changes throughout the day, your snake’s tank may get too hot or too cold if you can’t change how much heat is put out.
Because thermostats control how much heat the panel makes, the tank can keep the same temperature even if the temperature outside changes.
Buy a digital thermometer to make sure the temperature in your snake’s tank is correct, since the thermostat might not work or be set wrong.
Final Thoughts
Since snakes have cold blood, they need to be able to control their body temperature to stay alive. Because of this, it is our job as snake owners to keep the temperature in their cages stable.
The temperature should stay between 75 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Change the heat settings based on how cold the place will be at night and in the winter.
So, even if the temperature drops, your snake will still be able to get enough heat.
Get ready for the chance that your heating system will stop working. Either put heaters in the cage or move your snake. Make sure these warmers don’t touch the snake directly, because they can burn it.
Lastly, take your snake to the vet right away if there are signs that it has cold shock syndrome. Time is running out if you don’t want your snake’s body to shut down.
I have been working in animal shelter for the past six years and I have been raising the puppies of different breeds. I have had experience in training the puppies in obedience, agility, and other dog sports.
My main objective is to train the puppies to become good family pets. They should be well-behaved and trained to be loving, loyal, and obedient.
Contact me:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (912) 634-3631
Address: 102 Village Way Crk Saint Simons Island, Georgia(GA), 31522
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