Soaking good or bad??

In one of my BP facebook groups everyone is strictly against soaking their BP's, when I had my BP's about a year ago, I was informed soaking was a good way to help the shedding process (if the snake is having issues) and treat dehydration. If someone dares to suggest soaking it is met with hostility, talking about how you should never EVER soak a BP (even in the event of a bad shed,) They all suggest a "humidity box" which is a similar concept just with wet paper towels/cloths. Is this group just largely biased or is soaking actually not recommended anymore? I don't currently own any snakes (sadly,) but would like to know the truth for when I do finally get another BP, thanks in advance :):D

Soaking is used when a shed has gone poorly. Soaking before a shed removes the oils between the snake's new skin and the old, which can make it harder for them to shed when the time comes. So, shedding isn't bad, but there is a time and place for it.

It depends. At work I will soak mine to get a shed off. Mine shed well at home so I don't need too. I'm not against it unless your snake is not eating. I have heard a vet say soak daily. I'm like ummm what!? Nothing wrong with a soak for a bad shed. However if your husbandry is correct you usually have good sheds so no soak is needed.

Please note I meant to say 'soaking' instead of 'shedding' in that last sentence, this is what not proof-reading before I post gets me! Lmao.

Okay so I'm not crazy, lol. I just found it odd an entire group of hundreds of BP keepers were all strictly against soaking, saying it does no benefit and only stresses snakes, etc. I don't advocate soaking unnecessarily but I personally found my snakes loved a good soak, and it always got off any stubborn stuck shed :P I've been out of the reptile game for a year now, I was worried I'd miss some big change or something lol

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Originally Posted by mystichorseangel

Okay so I'm not crazy, lol. I just found it odd an entire group of hundreds of BP keepers were all strictly against soaking, saying it does no benefit and only stresses snakes, etc. I don't advocate soaking unnecessarily but I personally found my snakes loved a good soak, and it always got off any stubborn stuck shed :P I've been out of the reptile game for a year now, I was worried I'd miss some big change or something lol

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I feel the same as you .


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I don't know if it's good or bad for them but my snake had a neat perfect shed a week ago. I was using newspaper,and sphagnum moss. I just made sure the moss was damp and the tank sides were misted.

I let Fírnen soak when he is close to shedding or when he gets one of those weird eye dents lol. He seems to really like it!
I don’t make him stay in the water, so the soak ends when he’s done. I’ve never had a stuck shed yet, but if I do I will definitely soak him! :)

Mine soak when they choose. I've had several species spanning 4 decades and if my snakes want to soak I say live and let live. This summer my large male climbed up the side of a wading pool and in he went. He was quite at home. Force soaking I have done it for bad sheds. Other than that my snakes decide. Never had a snake drown yet. The Facebook group you refer to.....All I will say is I divorced Facebook a long time ago and couldn't be happier.

My position on this topic is that soaking is, for the most part, at best unnecessary and at worst stressful and dangerous. They just don't need baths. If they don't need it, why waste my time?

As far as shedding goes, the concept that water removes the oil between layers of skin is actually not true. Ball pythons don't even have the glands to produce such oils, so no such oil exists. Shedding is done through an entirely different biological process. You may even find in my old posts talk about such oils, but I was mistaken. Even this old dog can learn new tricks! If someone feels a snake needs to be soaked before a shed to help it along, there are likely a host of other husbandry issues that need to be addressed. Good sheds are not the result of what happens right before they shed - they are the cumulative result of everything in the snake's life between sheds.

If my snakes play Pablo Poo-casso, they get wiped down with a damp cloth. If they have the rare rough shed, they get a quick dip in a sealed, but not air-tight, tub with a small amount of temperature appropriate water for a bit to help things along (only after it becomes obvious they don't be able to do it on their own). There's a pretty good guide here on this forum about that process. That's the extent of the "water-torture" (OK, I'm over exaggerating) I do in my collection.