BP soaking too long?

[byrd900sp]

I have an eleven month old BP (my first), that I bought from a chain store two months ago. She's in an Exoterra (30 gal?), with cypress mulch, a small hide, and a large water dish. There is also a 60W cme, a 12W cfl on a timer, and a UTH on a t-stat stuck to the side of the tank, which is insulated on 3/4 of the top and three sides with posterboard to keep her at 80F / 70% humidity. She also has a large water bowl that she spends 12+ hours a day soaking in. She is an aggressive eater, one small mouse every 5-7 days, and she looks healthy and active with a sweet temperament. We thought she looked like she was going to shed right after we got her, but we never found a shed skin, and her eyes cleared up; This was about a month ago with no changes since. I've checked repeatedly for mites without any sign, so I'm worried that she's spending too much time in the water. Should I remove the bowl or let her spend as much time as she wants? Is this a sign of a health issue that I'm missing? Thank you

[JodanOrNoDan]

Soaking for a ball python is not normal.

Check this out and make sure you have everything correct. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ius)-Caresheet

You should really have two hides, on on the hot side the other on the cool. What may be going on is the animal is using the water bowl as a hide.

[Zincubus]

None of my Royals / Ball pythons have EVER soaked .

I'd check again for mites ... pull it out gently and wipe it down with some white kitchen-roll then check for little black specs on the paper ( and in the water bowl ) ..

Alternatively it may be too warm and is cooling down - a long shot ?


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[Sunnieskys]

What zinc said.

My boople soaks but usually only after she is fed and for a couple of hours. Not 12 hours a day. That's not normal.

[dadofsix]

My snakes have near identical terrariums both in my living room. The older snake, a female named Tia, seems to enjoy her water dish a great deal. She soaks all the time but it's especially noticeable around the time that she's had a meal, or, when she's going into shed. The other snake, a younger male named Tam, has never curled up into his water dish that I've seen but does regularly drink from it.

I've checked for parasites, check temps and humidity of each a few times every day and, while both snakes seem comfortable, Tia still can, more often than not, be found in her water dish. Update, she's now snoozing comfortably in her cool hide area still with a full belly. :-)

If you've ruled out parasites in or on your snake, your husbandry is spot on, your snake is eating consistently, and it doesn't show other signs of what could otherwise be considered to be stress, you might just wait a bit before you get really alarmed. There are enough threads on this site dealing with this matter for one to fairly conclude that some of these snake are just flat out crazy and simply like the feel of water on their bodies

However, having said that, please listen to the folks on this site when they suggest a possible solution to a problem that you're having with your snake. They've had years and years of experience working with these snakes. I, myself, have found their advice to be nothing less than invaluable.

Best of luck in dealing with your little mermaid. :-)