Temperature and neurological disorders.

[scales.jp]

Sometimes I think the Internet is the cause of all my worries. Last night I was reading up on what temperatures cause different types of burns in reptiles, when I stumbled on the topic of temperature extremes causing neurological disorders, particularly in pythons. A guy on one forum blamed a broken thermostat for literally melting his carpet python's brain over night, and it had to be euthanised.

What sort of extremes are we taking about? I can't imagine a snake sleeping on a 105°F surface for a few hours would cook its nervous system, especially if the ambient temperature is within the correct range. That guy's viv must have been like an oven!

[jjhill001]

Originally Posted by scales.jp

Sometimes I think the Internet is the cause of all my worries. Last night I was reading up on what temperatures cause different types of burns in reptiles, when I stumbled on the topic of temperature extremes causing neurological disorders, particularly in pythons. A guy on one forum blamed a broken thermostat for literally melting his carpet python's brain over night, and it had to be euthanised.

What sort of extremes are we taking about? I can't imagine a snake sleeping on a 105°F surface for a few hours would cook its nervous system, especially if the ambient temperature is within the correct range. That guy's viv must have been like an oven!

If a thermostat broke and a high wattage ceramic heat emitter got going in a relatively small room with low airflow I could see a tank getting well into obnoxious temp ranges, it's actually one of the reasons I'm probably getting a RHP to replace the CHE experiment I've been conducting, a CHE is too directing of a heat source to do what I thought it would do even with my extra wide fixture.

I've never researched the actual effects on too high of temps when we're talking the range of possibly causing permanent disabilities. I would assume anything that got that bad was probably REALLY close to overheating death. Like, got there just in time level. Probably +120-150 for an extended period of time.

It's one of the reasons that I don't use hot spots, anything that can be used as a hotspot typically needs to be dialed back with a thermostat. That means if there is a failure it has the potential to get too hot. If that makes sense.

[dannybgoode]

It's one of the reasons that I don't use hot spots, anything that can be used as a hotspot typically needs to be dialed back with a thermostat. That means if there is a failure it has the potential to get too hot. If that makes sense.

That's not strictly true. A good well designed thermostat will only fail in the off position.

To the op - I've never heard of a snake suffering neuro issues purely from overheating. I'm always nervous about people using carpets as an example simply because I'm always suspicious they have a jaguar carpet which have neuro issues by default which the owner nearly always blames on something other than the fact they are genetically defective snakes.

I am happy to research further though...

[dannybgoode]

Oh and don't forget in the wild 105f surface temperatures, and much hotter, are really very common.

Now in the confines of a viv where the temperature may not drop enough toward the cool end of could well be an issue but the viv would have to be really quite small for this to be the case.

[scales.jp]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

I'm always nervous about people using carpets as an example simply because I'm always suspicious they have a jaguar carpet which have neuro issues by default...

Oh and don't forget in the wild 105f surface temperatures, and much hotter, are really very common.

My thoughts exactly.

WikiVet says "Disorientation and sluggishness may be attributed to a wide variety of causes but may be simply caused by an inappropriate environmental temperature." Hardly sounds like a neurological disease, and I imagine easily corrected by adjusting the temperature accordingly.
https://en.wikivet.net/Snake_Neurological_Diseases

[dannybgoode]

That said I have posed the question on the AHH Facebook group and the feedback is yes it can and does happen but that 105f doesn't sound high enough unless that is a prolonged ambient temperature with the animal not being able to escape it at all.

People also note that death usually follows reasonably quickly.

[pinefamily]

The snake is more likely to die from overheating before showing any neurological issues. Personally I agree with you guys that the neuro issues are probably from something else.

[scales.jp]

Following on from this subject, will a digital infrared thermometer measure water temperature reasonably accurately? I'm only taking about the small amount of water in a snakes water bowl, not moving water or large expanses.

I don't have a digital infrared thermometer at the moment, but will probably get one soon. I'm trying to keep the amount of tools I'm using to a safe minimum, but sticking my wife's kitchen thermometer into the snake's water bowl every morning probably isn't a good idea!

[dannybgoode]

An ir thermometer will measure the temperature of the bowl the water, not the water itself. That said if you point straight down through the water then you will get a reasonable approximation of the temperature.

I have never measured the water temp to be fair and unless you suspect it could be higher than the ambient then I don't see the point.

[scales.jp]

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

I have never measured the water temp to be fair and unless you suspect it could be higher than the ambient then I don't see the point.

This morning I let my kitchen tap run until it felt neither warm nor cold, then filled a jug of water at the same temperature. I was surprised when I stuck the thermometer probe in and it read 32℃. No problem now that I know roughly what 32℃ feels like, but I thought if I'm going to get an IR thermometer anyway then I might be as well use it for the water, too.