Copper in water

So I've recently been looking into copper in water bowls for reptiles. I feel like I've been getting mixed messages on whether or not it's beneficial or harmful for the reptiles. Does anyone here do this? If so do you notice any pros or cons? And does it work with all reptiles or just snakes?

Thanks

Very interesting thread. I wish I had some answers for ya. I remember a couple of years back watching a video of a green tree python breeder that would put a piece of copper wire in everyone of his water bowls. He swore by the practice of doing so. I have never tried it, but am very interested in the thread... Good one :gj:

I have seen a video or two about putting a penny in the water bowl. Copper naturally kills bacteria. I clean my snakes bowls often I don't think there would be any bacteria?

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Originally Posted by Bodie

Very interesting thread. I wish I had some answers for ya. I remember a couple of years back watching a video of a green tree python breeder that would put a piece of copper wire in everyone of his water bowls. He swore by the practice of doing so. I have never tried it, but am very interested in the thread... Good one :gj:

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There seems to be some really good benefits for the animals but before I do it I want to make sure there won't be any adverse effects.

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Originally Posted by Alien

I have seen a video or two about putting a penny in the water bowl. Copper naturally kills bacteria. I clean my snakes bowls often I don't think there would be any bacteria?

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I don't thinks it's a question of whether or not the bowl itself is clean. Water naturally harbors bacteria. Whether you change waters every 3 days or once a week I imagine that would be enough time for bacteria to grow (I'm no scientist!) Especially in a room that's already kept humid. There also seems to be a lot of other health benefits linked to the copper in the water.

Snake discovery use a coin in the water bowls.

I'm not sure if an entire copper dish is harmful long term, I would not take the risk and just use a coin inside a regular dish.

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Originally Posted by Alien

I have seen a video or two about putting a penny in the water bowl. Copper naturally kills bacteria. I clean my snakes bowls often I don't think there would be any bacteria?

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Bacteria is pretty much everywhere all the time...some beneficial too, & some not so good, and some right after you cleaned your snake bowls, especially if you stuck your finger in the water, lol. Snakes evolved in the real world with plenty of bacteria- all kinds- but if you clean the water bowl on a regular basis (not necessarily every day, but fairly often & for sure quickly any time they defecate in it) then I wouldn't worry. My snakes tend to live long healthy lives & none have ever had a copper penny in their bowls, though I'd love to see some real research on this, not just speculation. In our current situation with COVID, I've been seeing advertisements for face masks (for humans, not for snakes, lol) with "copper wires woven into the fabric" to help fight off the virus, & then there's also the copper bracelet theory (you wear them & they take care of your arthritis pain...?) & sorry to say, I'm not convinced of either of those, so call me skeptical about the penny in the water too. ;)

I just looked but found no answers on Snopes, but here's a pertinent article: https://www.insider.com/does-copper-...ms-and-viruses
The key thing though is CONTACT, & I don't see how a penny in water is going to do the trick...germs are mostly in contact with WATER, not the
copper, & the same goes for copper wires woven into medical masks...what are the odds that the virus actually contacts the copper when there's
SO much more space without it? You cannot expect viruses & bacteria to steer their way over to touch the copper for you, much less sit there
politely for four hours. Call me skeptical about the effectiveness...:rolleyes:

I've seen people who own many snakes do this possibly because they aren't changing the water very frequently. For the average snake owner with just a couple of snakes who should be changing the water every 1-3 days anyway I don't see a reason to add a penny (must be a copper one so only pennies older than a certain date work) especially if there are potentially unseen adverse effects. In any case, as long as your snake hasn't defecated in its water dish any water a snake would drink in the wild probably has more bacteria than water that comes from a household tap.

Incredibly low sample size, but I tried it for a few months with one snake and didn't notice a difference. I'm also changing the water every 48 hours without fail so that could be undermining any benefit as others in the thread suspect. I also didn't see the color change that was supposed to happen when she pooped/peed in the water so I'll probably discontinue. In short, I doubt it hurts, but not really seeing any benefit over just changing it frequently.