Bathing ball pythons: depth of water?

[Booper]

Hi all,
This has been a question I've had for a while. When you bathe your snake (to remove stuck shed or poop smell ) how deep do you make the water? Up to midway up the body, or have it deep enough so they are swimming?
Thanks!

[Oxylepy]

Depends on what I'm trying to do.

Stuck shed is only a little water and a washcloth in a tub. It's the humidity that will do wonders.
Stinky snake is a short swim.
Exercise is deep enough for a swim, but honestly they will often find a way to just sit still regardless

[JodanOrNoDan]

You guys are killing me with this swimming stuff. Water depth is zero. Stuck shed is taken care of by having the right humidity. Stinky snake is resolved by a wipe down and a clean enclosure.

[Oxylepy]

^Jodanornodan isn't wrong.

Stuck shed should never be an issue if your enclosure is is set up with the correct humidity.
A stinky snake just needs a clean enclosure.
Honestly you shouldn't even be trying to exercise your snake, they should get more than enough just roaming the enclosure.
Clearing up a blockage and getting them to poop just requires the right humidity.

Fixing the problem that is causing the issue is a lot better than fixing the issue. That said, every once in a while I do the wrong thing. Stuck shed because I forgot to put the tubs in their winter position I like to handle with a humid soak in a very low water level. Stinky snake... well I honestly never notice, you gotta be smelling your snakes for that to happen. And a warm water swim I just like to do every couple months for extra exercise and to get them to poop. Do the right thing in the first place and you won't have issues

[kevall1]

I really only do this with my corn snakes. They love to poop when out of their enclosure and I'm not fond of having to clean poop off my carpet. Very shallow luke warm water in a sterilite tub and they go within 5 minutes, a quick soak in clean water and you have a clean snake to handle that won't poop on you.

Anyway, sorry for getting off topic. I wanted to comment on the stinky snake issue. I like to give my ball pythons as much room as they are comfortable with in their enclosure. That way they are not forced to slither through their own urates or excrement.

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[redshepherd]

Wipe down a poopy snake with a wet paper towel. Stuck shed should be in a tub with a wet towel for 15 minutes, just for humidity. You never actually need to have the snake swimming/water level.

And yes, ball pythons can drown themselves... They're not a swimming species.

[Booper]

Thank you all for your comments