Reptile Power Cut Plan: Keeping Your Reptile Warm, or Cool, Safely

Most reptiles cope with a short power cut if you keep their warmth in. Close doors, cover the enclosure with blankets (leaving ventilation), and don't feed until the heat is back. For longer cuts, move small animals into an insulated cool box with a wrapped, reptile-safe heat pack, or run equipment from a backup power station. Amphibians and many geckos are more at risk from heat, so plan for summer too.

Blankets, a cooler box and a plan: most power cuts are survivable.

Before It Happens

Know your animal's safe range. Your species page gives typical temperatures. Write them down near the enclosure.
Get a battery thermometer that works without mains power.
Keep an emergency kit: blankets or a duvet, a few insulated cool boxes, reptile-safe disposable heat packs, a battery lantern, and a power bank for your phone.
Consider backup power: a portable power station can run a heat mat or emitter and thermostat for a while. Check the wattage and run time before you rely on it. Never run a fuel generator indoors.
Find an emergency contact: a friend with power, or a reptile shop or keeper who could take animals in.

In a Cold Power Cut

Keep the heat in: close room doors and curtains; cover the enclosure with blankets or a duvet, leaving some ventilation.
Gather everyone in one room, the warmest one.
Small animals: for a longer cut, move them into a small, insulated cool box or polystyrene box with a towel, ventilation holes, and a disposable heat pack wrapped in cloth on one side only, so the animal can move away from it. Check the temperature often.
Don't feed. Reptiles digest poorly when cold; wait until normal temperatures return.
Never use a candle, gas heater or open flame near an enclosure.

In a Heatwave or a Hot Power Cut

Overheating can be faster and more dangerous than cold, especially for amphibians, crested geckos, axolotls and newts.

Keep the enclosure out of the sun, close curtains, and move animals to the coolest room.
Turn off basking lamps if temperatures climb above your species' range.
For aquatic animals, float sealed frozen water bottles in the water (not loose ice), or use a fan across the surface.
Mist amphibian enclosures with cool, dechlorinated water.

When the Power Comes Back

Check every heat source and thermostat is working and reading correctly. Let temperatures return to normal before feeding. Watch your animals for a day or two, and call a vet who treats reptiles if one seems weak, won't eat once warm, or behaves unusually.

Power Cut Kit for Reptile Keepers

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A portable power station can run a heat source and thermostat for a while. A battery thermometer works without mains power. Reptile-safe disposable heat packs and an insulated cool box get small animals through a long cut, and a battery lantern helps you check on them in the dark.

Frequently Asked Questions

Heat packs and timing come up most.

How long can a reptile go without heat?

It depends on the species, the room temperature and how well the enclosure is insulated. Keep the warmth in from the start, and act sooner for small animals and cold rooms.

Can I use a hand warmer for my reptile?

Use heat packs made for shipping reptiles where you can. Always wrap the pack in cloth, put it on one side only, and check the temperature often so the animal can't overheat.

Should I feed my reptile during a power cut?

No. Wait until normal temperatures are back, because reptiles digest poorly when cold.

Can I run reptile equipment from a power station?

Yes, for a while. Check the wattage of your heat source against the power station's capacity first. Never run a fuel generator indoors.

What about amphibians in a heatwave?

Heat is often the bigger danger for amphibians. Move them to the coolest room, keep them out of the sun, and mist with cool, dechlorinated water.