Urgent URGENT. Exploded heat mat & smoke!

[Feather97]

Hey all, excuse any misspellings here I am typing very fast and super scared and shocked. I have reptiles as well as birds. I've used heat mats for several years and never had any problems. About 30 minutes ago I woke up and one of the heat mats for my snakes exploded. It literally exploded. It was smoking profusely and there was a massive black hole where the tank was.

Got everyone out of the room, including the birds. I got them to a clean, smoke free room and opened a window (screened) and put a towel in front of the door. I immediately put a fan up to air out the room.

I'm just freaking out really bad now about the birds. I don't know how long the smoke was happening. I assume I woke up pretty quick, or else it would have been on fire.

Everything is fine now, but I'm just panicking about the birds. What else can I be doing here?

 

[Feather97]

Anyone???? Please?

 

[Shezbug]

Fresh air is the best you can do for them straight up.
Do they all seem ok or are any showing any concerning symptoms?

 

[Feather97]

Fresh air is the best you can do for them straight up.
Do they all seem ok or are any showing any concerning symptoms?

No, everyone looks and seems fine. Acting normal. I've got them all in crates downstairs away from any smoke. I've got a fan going and windows open upstairs trying to clear it. I'm so so scared. If I hadn't of woken up....!!!

I've been watching them all like a hawk. I feel so awful. I've never had this happen in the 10+ years of reptile keeping I've done. Never once. I don't know what even caused it to explode. The smoke wasn't thick, it was just kind of 'starting' when I woke up. It burnt the shelf underneath really bad. The whole room still really stinks.

 

[Shezbug]

Not the same thing but we once had some pretty awful chemical fumes from a dishwasher cleaner we used. My bird was affected to the point he was having trouble coordinating and was really struggling to breathe. After airing the house out he was fine. I spoke to my vet as it was all happening and the advice I was given was to get him to fresh clean air ASAP, air the house out well and just keep watch for any changes in breathing, energy, coordination etc.
I’d personally make sure the place has been well ventilated to remove fumes then watch for any signs that may concern you.

It sounds like you got to it before it was smoky enough to set any smoke alarms off so hopefully their exposure to smoke and fumes was minimal.

 

[Feather97]

Not the same thing but we once had some pretty awful chemical fumes from a dishwasher cleaner we used. My bird was affected to the point he was having trouble coordinating and was really struggling to breathe. After airing the house out he was fine. I spoke to my vet as it was all happening and the advice I was given was to get him to fresh clean air ASAP, air the house out well and just keep watch for any changes in breathing, energy, coordination etc.
I’d personally make sure the place has been well ventilated to remove fumes then watch for any signs that may concern you.

It sounds like you got to it before it was smoky enough to set any smoke alarms off so hopefully their exposure to smoke and fumes was minimal.

Thank you so much . I know it must be extremely early for a lot of people but I'm so glad you guys responded. I'll keep an eye on everyone. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

 

[Feather97]

Not sure if it's just because he's stressed out but my one Quaker keeps reaching up with his foot and touching his neck. I think I'm probably overanalyzing them but I'm so scared.

 

[MiniMacaw]

I know it’s hard not to panic, but what’s happened has already happened and now you’re airing your home out and doing all you can. Fresh air does wonders and quickly. I’m thankful it sounds like you caught this issue as it was beginning. I’d monitor your birds for any signs of disorientation or difficulty breathing as Shezbug said. Other than that, birds are great at sensing our emotions and we sometimes lead by example when we don’t mean to, so as hard as it is, try to stay calm.

 

[Feather97]

I know it’s hard not to panic, but what’s happened has already happened and now you’re airing your home out and doing all you can. Fresh air does wonders and quickly. I’m thankful it sounds like you caught this issue as it was beginning. I’d monitor your birds for any signs of disorientation or difficulty breathing as Shezbug said. Other than that, birds are great at sensing our emotions and we sometimes lead by example when we don’t mean to, so as hard as it is, try to stay calm.

Thank you for your kind words. You guys are so nice. I'm just so worried for my little guys. It's one of those things you think will never happen to you. I take every precaution, but there's always things that will be out of my control.

 

[Feather97]

Update: Everyone is back in the room. I removed the burnt board, heat mat and anything involving it. Aired out the room. There's still a tiny bit of smell but it's very very faint. I have 2 fans running. Hoping the universe gives me a break and let's everything go back to normal. I can't take another heart attack like this!

 

[Tiel Feathers]

How scary, I’m glad everyone seems okay! You should contact the company and tell them what happened.

 

[Feather97]

How scary, I’m glad everyone seems okay! You should contact the company and tell them what happened.

I absolutely will be contacting them! I took several pictures and saved the burnt items and mat. I'm truly lucky I woke up when I did or this post wouldn't exist!