Soaking/Bathing

So I hear a lot about soaking my BP...is there a sticky or a thread that I can look at for suggestions on this process? When should it be done? How often? Temps for the water? How long should they soak?

Hi,

Yes it was 6 posts above this one at the time of writing. :P


dr del

Most people only soak if the snake has experienced a bad or difficult shed, after the snake attempts the shed naturally.

Here's a sticky on the shedding process....

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=28794

Here's a sticky on how to soak a snake to help remove the stuck shed.....

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=43403

Dr del...now i feel like an idiot lol

Hi,

But to answer your questions here as best I can...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rrupp1179

So I hear a lot about soaking my BP...is there a sticky or a thread that I can look at for suggestions on this process? When should it be done?

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When the snake has had a bad shed or (with the addition of a few drops of dish soap) to give some immediate relief if the snake has a mite infestation. Also a good way of trying to encourage a slightly constipated snake to poop - though I find cleaning out its enclosure when I don't have time to repeat is far more effective at generating poop. :rolleyes:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rrupp1179

How often?

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Only as needed for the above situations for me - though I suppose it might be used for cleaning up a snake that has wallowed in its own doings - but mine seem to avoid that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rrupp1179

Temps for the water?

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You don't want it to be too hot so I would probably stick to around 85f - a good way to maintain that is to place the tub with snake and water back into the enclosure if possible.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rrupp1179

How long should they soak?

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It depends on the reason for the soak but 30 minutes should sort out most of the problems I would have thought.

It's important to note you do not want the water to be too deep - about half way up the snakes body should be sufficient.

Also you need a good lid - not all snakes enjoy water and some positively hate the soaking experience.:taz:

I think if you were giving soaks containing anything (dish soap for mites or something to help with wound healing for example) it might be a good idea to give them a soak in plain water first in case they choose to drink some of it. But I have never had to do this so I deffer to anyone with experience on this (and to be honest any :P ) point



dr del

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rrupp1179

Dr del...now i feel like an idiot lol

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Lol,

No reason too - the more I thought about it the more reasons I thought to do it and the more info seemed worth having posted in a thread others could use.

So once other people add more info the thread could help a lot of people in the future. :gj:


dr del