who uses water bowls and who dont

[CptJack]

I don't think it is possible to get into this without questioning why we do or don't, at least among ourselves.

I do. My snakes are simple, dumb, basic creatures with limited (no) ability to appreciate or enjoy things like environmental enrichment. Being able to get a drink or stick their heads in water or soak if they so chose is one of the very basic things they CAN do. And frankly I'm not interested, personally, in doing the bare minimum that they can survive. I'm not going to start deciding to take them on walks or deciding they love me, but a bowl of water and a hide? Yeah. I'm giving them that, because those are the little things they can and do make use of.

They're simple, primitive, animals but they're still ANIMALS. I wouldn't keep a FISH without a plant or something to use a hide if it so chose (though admittedly dark tubs in racks BECOME hides, so that's not an issue in those scenarios, it is for mine as they're in clear containers without racks).

[sho220]

The question was yes or no ..
There was no need for anyone's reason ..
its not about being lazy or anything like that ..
it was is do u or dont u ..

is it really necessary to put a water bowl in ur snakes tub ... a while back I seen someone saying they didnt use water bowl and I got to thinking y do I use them .. my humidity stays good all the time .. i spray down tubs 2 times a week and when I do this there is more then enough water build up on the side of the tub I spray on for the snake to take a drink ..

If I have a snake fasting then I will provide water 24/7 till it starts eating again

I was just asking a question on who does n who doesnt .. u can think what u want of me because I dont keep water bowls in my tubs ..
I used to but then I took them out to see what would happen and everything is still the same

When you did use water bowls, did you ever see any of your snakes drink?

[steve_r34]

When you did use water bowls, did you ever see any of your snakes drink?

No .. I used to watch them forever when I 1st got them .. I only seen one ever soak n that was right b4 his shed but once I got that good during sheds I never seen it again ..
i see no difference with or with out them .. I cant even say I had snakes that tipped them cause I never did so they werent even a hassle for me .. I just decided to try something different and to see what would happen ... when I get hatchlings I will keep a bowl in there for a bit .. n when I have one on strike .. but other the I have seen no change in my snakes behavior .. if I did I would have put the bowls back in immediately .. but everything is still same with them from day one

[sho220]

No .. I used to watch them forever when I 1st got them .. I only seen one ever soak n that was right b4 his shed but once I got that good during sheds I never seen it again ..
i see no difference with or with out them .. I cant even say I had snakes that tipped them cause I never did so they werent even a hassle for me .. I just decided to try something different and to see what would happen ... when I get hatchlings I will keep a bowl in there for a bit .. n when I have one on strike .. but other the I have seen no change in my snakes behavior .. if I did I would have put the bowls back in immediately .. but everything is still same with them from day one

Just curious, but how long have you been going without water bowls? And have you noticed any change in feeding response/consistency. Have you bred bp's? And if so, have you noticed any changes since going waterbowl-less? Obviously, in the wild, they don't have bowls of fresh water to drink from. During the dry season, they hibernate (or aestivate), so I'm just curious if they show any signs of hibernating when they don't have access to water.

edit: I may be using hibernate and aestivate wrong..."hibernate" is generally used for going dormant in cold, and "aestivate" during high heat and dryness. If anyone can clarify that would be great...

[steve_r34]

I am only attempting to breed one girl this year and it is my 1st time breeding .. from what I have seen ( to my knowledge ) was 2 locks one last month and one the other day .. i have no change in feed response .. id say this has to be about month 3 or 4 without bowls.. all other behavior seems the same since b4 I removed water

[steve_r34]

They all are growing very well and are all eating once a week

[sho220]

I am only attempting to breed one girl this year and it is my 1st time breeding .. from what I have seen ( to my knowledge ) was 2 locks one last month and one the other day .. i have no change in feed response .. id say this has to be about month 3 or 4 without bowls.. all other behavior seems the same since b4 I removed water

Thanks. Would be interesting to see if there are any long-term changes due to this...

[ViperSRT3g]

I've seen my snake drink water on a regular basis. I can't imagine denying him something as simple as being able to drink water whenever he needs to. It doesn't take much time to fill his water bowl, especially since I'm gone for most of the day, the last I could do is give him water.

[Rob]

The question was yes or no ..
There was no need for anyone's reason ..
its not about being lazy or anything like that ..
it was is do u or dont u ..

You can't expect to throw out a question like that on a forum and not have people give opinions.


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[MarkS]

The question was yes or no ..
There was no need for anyone's reason ..
its not about being lazy or anything like that ..
it was is do u or dont u ..

Yes, it is a REQUIREMENT to supply a water bowl for your snake. Yes they DO drink from a water bowl. Yes they can become dehydrated when one is not present even with regular feeding. It's quite possible that they go long periods of time without drinking in the wild, but your cage is NOT in the wild. Yes I HAVE seen ball pythons dead from dehydration. Supplying a water bowl for your snake is NOT optional.