Soaking after eating? Normal?

Sorry, I know I've been asking a lot of questions but this is my first BP and I just want to make sure that I'm doing everything correctly :) I successfully fed him for the first time since I've had him, today. I've had him for a week. About an hour after eating he submersed himself in his water bowl and has been there for around 4 hours and doesn't show any signs of leaving. Is this normal behavior?
The bowl is near the "hot side" of the enclosure & he was fed a thawed pinkie mouse (idk if that matters, haha).

Some snakes just like to soak, and sometimes soaking can be a sign that he could have mites. Did he do any soaking before today, or is this the first time?

When he gets out of the water, you need to check the bowl for tiny black dots a tad larger than the period at the end of this sentence.

If you can't find any mites, you might just have a soaker on your hands. Is his water bowl over the heat source?

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Originally Posted by Slim

Some snakes just like to soak, and sometimes soaking can be a sign that he could have mites. Did he do any soaking before today, or is this the first time?

When he gets out of the water, you need to check the bowl for tiny black dots a tad larger than the period at the end of this sentence.

If you can't find any mites, you might just have a soaker on your hands. Is his water bowl over the heat source?

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I've never seen him soaking before today! That's why I thought maybe it was something they do to help them digest or what not... and yes the water bowl is over the heat source! I will definitely check for mites when he leaves the bowl, though.

Does he have a hide on the warm side of the enclosure? After eating, snakes will normally seek out a warm tight space to help them with digestion. He might just feel more secure in the warm water bowl.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slim

Does he have a hide on the warm side of the enclosure? After eating, snakes will normally seek out a warm tight space to help them with digestion. He might just feel more secure in the warm water bowl.

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Yes, he has a hide on the warm side and one on the cool side. Oh, I hope he doesn't have mites :O:(

Since this is a new behavior most likely triggered by him just eating, I would guess he just likes the warm confines of the water bowl.

You might look at getting a smaller, tighter fitting hide for the warm side just to see if next time he eats he chooses that over the bowl.