How often do blood pythons urinate?

[55fingers]

Long story short, we recently got our first blood. She's in quarantine and a few weeks ago we discovered she had mites (thank god for quarantine). We've been treating her enclosure with PAM and giving her dawn dish soap soaks to drown the mites.

Now, I've heard a lot about the trials when it comes to blood pythons and how they soak their entire enclosure with urine. I was prepared for that. However, she is LITERALLY flooding her enclosure every other day. Like, at least 3 times per week. Not to mention it's so often and so much that if it happens while I'm at work, I worry about her sitting with it until I'm back.

This means every other day we have to do a whole procedure where we wipe down her entire enclosure, scrub with dawn, rinse, dry, spray PAM, dry, all while she's having a dawn soak due to the mites and being coated in urine. And we have to make sure everything is done very precisely and without cross-contamination (such as our clothes or towels). This ends up being over an hour-long process each time. I understand this commitment, but I'm wondering if this is normal? Having to wipe down, scrub, and re-treat the enclosure with PAM every other day really sucks and is eating through our PAM supply fast. Could it be all the soaking is having her absorb so much water? Or do blood pythons literally just pee constantly? Help a new blood owner out here!

[Bogertophis]

Wow, what a headache to go through- & sorry, I have no experience with bloods at all, but some other members do & hopefully they'll come by to give their input.

Just off the cuff, that doesn't sound normal to me- but maybe these snakes are more efficient at absorbing water when soaking? Are you staying right by the snake during soaks, I hope? To make sure the snake isn't drinking the bathwater (w/ soap)?

Mites cause & can kill by dehydration so maybe your snake is drinking a lot more than they normally would to combat that dehydration from mites, along with (I'm guessing here) absorbing some water thru the skin during the baths too. And knowing these are snakes that are humidity-lovers anyway, maybe that explains it? Again, I'm only guessing.

[Homebody]

I don't know about bloods, but I heard about a mite treatment that might make your life easier. See https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...s-looking-good.

[Malum Argenteum]

"Could it be all the soaking is having her absorb so much water? "

That would be my guess. I used to keep bloods and do not recall any such urination habits.

If it were me, I would skip the soaks for mite treatment. If PAM is applied correctly (to inside of the enclosure and any paper liners you use), mites will die when they cross it, and they have to cross it twice during their life cycle. If any mites are seen on the snake they can be removed manually, or simply left to die when they leave the snake.

[GoingPostal]

I think the soaks are your issue, if not there's something wrong with your snake. Short tails do pee a lot but I expect once a week, sometimes twice. Is she dumping the water dish too or does she not have one during treatment?