Feeding Snakes in Hot Weather: What Changes in a Tucson Summer

How does Tucson's summer heat change snake feeding? It mostly changes two things: the room your snake lives in and the trip home with your feeders. Tucson gets about 68 days at 100°F or more in a normal year. Keep the enclosure in its normal range. Never leave a snake or a live rat in a parked car. Run errands early or late.

That's the core of feeding snakes in hot weather. The rest of this guide shows you how, step by step.

The short answer

• Your snake: Keep its enclosure at the temperatures its species needs. A hot room can push the cool side too high.
• Its appetite: A snake that's too warm (or too cold) may refuse food. Check temperatures before you worry.
• Your feeders: Care guides keep rats at about 68 to 79°F. A parked car or a summer garage can get far hotter.
• The trip home: Cool the car first. Go straight home. Never leave animals in a parked car.

Still looking for a local feeder source? Start with Where to Buy Feeder Rats in Tucson. A short drive matters more in July.

Tucson heat by the numbers

The National Weather Service in Tucson tracks every 100-degree day (NWS Tucson).

The first 100-degree day comes around May 18 in a normal year (1991 to 2020 average). In 2026 it came on March 19, the earliest on record.

So plan for heat from spring into fall. And plan for some years to be much worse than normal.

Can my snake overheat indoors?

It can, if the room gets too warm. Here's why.

A snake needs a warm side and a cool side, so it can move between them. For ball pythons, a vet-reviewed Chewy care sheet gives these targets (Chewy):

Now picture a Tucson house in July with the air conditioning set high. If the room sits at 84°F, the cool side can't stay at 78°F. Your snake loses its way to cool off.

Other species have their own ranges. Look up yours.

What to do in summer:

• Measure the cool side. Use a digital thermometer with a probe. Don't guess from the room.
• Use a thermostat on every heat source. Chewy says to "always attach heating elements to thermostats."
• Keep the enclosure out of direct sun. Don't let window light land on the tank.
• Have an outage plan. If the power or AC goes out, move the enclosure to the coolest room in the house and check the cool side often.

Do snakes eat less when it's hot?

They can. VCA Animal Hospitals lists "improper environmental temperature" as one reason a snake may refuse food (VCA). Too hot can be as much of a problem as too cold.

So if your snake skips meals in summer, check the temperatures first. Fix those, then try again.

If temps look right and it still won't eat, read Why Won't My Ball Python Eat? Cold-season refusals are a different story. See Ball Python Not Eating in Winter?

Feeders: keeping live rats cool in summer

Live feeder rats feel the heat too. Here's what the guides say:

• Lab animal guides keep rats and mice at 68 to 79°F (UCLA).
• The feeder rodent industry guide says housing should be 68 to 80°F (Pet Advocacy Network).
• For moving rodents, the same guide says "extreme temperatures should be avoided," with 65 to 85°F preferred.

Is my garage too hot for feeders?

In a Tucson summer, it likely is. A garage that reads above 80°F is outside both guides above. Put a thermometer out there and check it in the afternoon. If it's too warm, keep feeders in a cooler room inside.

How long should I keep live feeders?

The fewer days a rat spends in your care, the fewer hot days it has to get through. Plan to buy close to feeding day. For more, read How Long Do Feeder Rats Live?

How do I bring live rats home in July?

The car is the biggest risk. The National Weather Service saw a parked car go from a safe temperature to 94.3°F in a little over 2 minutes. It also says cracking the windows doesn't slow the heating by much (NWS).

It's also the law. Arizona's cruelty law covers rats and snakes. It makes it a crime to leave an animal shut in a car when injury or death is likely (A.R.S. 13-2910).

Use this checklist on hot days:

1. Cool the car first. Run the AC before the carrier goes in.
2. Use a ventilated carrier. Keep it out of direct sun, on the floor or seat, not in the trunk.
3. Go straight home. No grocery stop. Not even for five minutes.
4. Go early or late. Mornings and evenings are cooler.
5. Settle them fast. Put feeders in a cool room with food and water as soon as you're home.

Buying from Mike? In hot weather, Mike may set a cooler time of day. Ask when you call or text.

Call or text Mike at (520) 451-4380. He replies the same day.

Feeding schedule in hot months

You don't need a special summer schedule. If the enclosure stays in range, keep feeding on your normal schedule. For ball pythons, see How Often to Feed a Ball Python.

A few summer habits help:

• Feed when the house is at its normal temperature, not during an AC outage.
• Match the feeder to the snake. Use the feeder size guide to match grams to your snake.
• Watch any live feeding closely. Stay and watch, and take out any rat your snake doesn't eat. See How to Feed Live Rats to Snakes Safely.
• Keep the water bowl full. Check it more often when it's hot.

Summer quick guide

Planning a summer order?

Mike breeds live feeder rats and mice in the Tucson area. Tell him what sizes you need, and in hot weather he may set a cooler time of day. See every size on the live feeder rats page.

Call or text Mike at (520) 451-4380. Nothing ready in your size? Get batch alerts.