Help there's a snake in my sink!!

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Originally Posted by DVirginiana

Eh, just telling you that it's not recommended and the reasons why. If you want to keep doing something that serves no purpose that's your call.

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Hey I'm just doing what I'm told since I'm not allowed to mist

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He is a cutie. When I see mine go into blue I mist the sides of the tubs a little bit.

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Originally Posted by SCWood

Hey I'm just doing what I'm told since I'm not allowed to mist

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No offense, but if you're not allowed to do something as simple as mist and maintain basic tank conditions, why do you have three BPs? The things you do to work around some of the frankly ridiculous rules you say you have to deal with range from pointless and stressful to borderline dangerous to your BPs (this is taking a lot of older posts into account).
I understand you have to obey the rules of the house, but if you know you're in a situation where someone won't let you properly take care of your snakes why keep getting them?

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Originally Posted by DVirginiana

No offense, but if you're not allowed to do something as simple as mist and maintain basic tank conditions, why do you have three BPs? The things you do to work around some of the frankly ridiculous rules you say you have to deal with range from pointless and stressful to borderline dangerous to your BPs (this is taking a lot of older posts into account).
I understand you have to obey the rules of the house, but if you know you're in a situation where someone won't let you properly take care of your snakes why keep getting them?

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Hey, hey now, no reason to get hostile. What proof do you have that soaking a bp is harmful, especially if the op has been doing this for a long time and the snake pictured is obviously on weight, not dehydrated and healthy. I had a bp for a while that was a rescue and had what had to be at least 3 sheds (most likely more) stuck to his body. The previous owner said he hadn't had a complete shed in, oh god, years. I was horrified. Anyway, I had to soak the poor guy three times over a week to get all the shed skin off. Never hurt him at all, in fact afterwards he moved around a lot better and seemed relieved. He would also soak himself in the large water dish I provided, even though I misted him every day.

Soaking a snake to get a retained shed off is different from soaking one prior to a shed. At best, soaking one prior to a shed is pointless and stressful to the snake, at worst it can remove essential oils and lubricants that the snake produces to help with the shed. This has been documented and supported by countless other members here. Just check out the search bar.

I have a 15 year old garter (they're supposed to live about 8 years) that was fed solely on a toxic species of fish (I didn't know any better) for the first ten years of his life. It worked just fine for me, but just because it didn't cause problems for me doesn't mean I would recommend it to someone else or condone it if someone else told me they were doing it. I was given information that what I was doing was wrong and changed it-- against the wishes of my parents, who I lived with at the time.

And not being allowed to mist, moving the snake around two or three times prior to/during feeding, being unable to feed either enough or proper sized prey, ect. is a reason to be a bit frustrated. There have been multiple threads where simple, safe suggestions have been completely disregarded because they are 'against the rules'. I'm not getting hostile, just pointing out that this user has a habit of disregarding reasonable, well-thought-out advice because of 'rules' that make no sense. I can sympathize with sudden crazy rules about reptile care (for example a couple years ago I was in a situation where my mother was okay with me getting an animal but suddenly decided I couldn't use heat pads) but I don't understand continuing to acquire reptiles already knowing that these rules are in place.

It's really weird to see all the stuff you're saying about how soaking a ball python is pointless. I soak both my girls very often and not only do they seem to enjoy it, but it helps their shed a ton. it also helps hydration, I've heard. I think that any ball python owner that actually takes the time to personally soak their snake (wether the snake likes it or not) is a fantastic, responsible and caring owner. if what she's doing is working for her, let her be.

Seriously, use the search bar. Look up what people with far more experience than you or I have to say on the matter. It does have the potential to disrupt a shed cycle. Will it always? Certainly not. That would be a horrible adaption.

There are no known benefits to soaking a BP. Plain and simple. It doesn't really help with hydration any more than giving them water to drink does (yes, if you have a severely dehydrated snake, putting it in a tub of water may encourage drinking and thus help). But if it helps with hydration, where do you think they absorb the water? Through their extremely thick skin?

I don't doubt that SCWood cares about her snakes. You can tell that from the tone of many of her posts. However, the 'rules' she says she has to follow are frankly ridiculous. It can get frustrating to provide advice and have it disregarded because of a random rule that doesn't seem to make any sense, and that frustration just kind of spilled out in this thread.

Also, if you believe soaking your BPs is truly beneficial, I would challenge you to go a couple shed-cycles without doing it. If you provide proper humidity in the enclosure, I guarantee you you will still get perfect shed results. Besides, what do they do that makes you think they 'enjoy' it?

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Originally Posted by maudie

Iif what she's doing is working for her, let her be.

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Also, just to add on, I hate this logic. I used horrible husbandry practices for years with my first snake (including keeping him on potentially deadly bedding and feeding him toxic food items) and he has lived almost double the life-expectancy of his species. I was a kid and didn't know any better at the time. But that is a perfect example of why 'it works so keep doing it' isn't always the best strategy. Most snakes would have died in the conditions he was kept in.

No, soaking a snake will not kill it, and I'm not trying to make that comparison. Even if it caused a bad shed that's not the end of the world. My problem is with the logic of 'I've always done it this way and it works so it must be the best way' when there is pretty concrete evidence out there suggesting otherwise.

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Originally Posted by DVirginiana

Seriously, use the search bar. Look up what people with far more experience than you or I have to say on the matter. It does have the potential to disrupt a shed cycle. Will it always? Certainly not. That would be a horrible adaption.

There are no known benefits to soaking a BP. Plain and simple. It doesn't really help with hydration any more than giving them water to drink does (yes, if you have a severely dehydrated snake, putting it in a tub of water may encourage drinking and thus help). But if it helps with hydration, where do you think they absorb the water? Through their extremely thick skin?

I don't doubt that SCWood cares about her snakes. You can tell that from the tone of many of her posts. However, the 'rules' she says she has to follow are frankly ridiculous. It can get frustrating to provide advice and have it disregarded because of a random rule that doesn't seem to make any sense, and that frustration just kind of spilled out in this thread.

Also, if you believe soaking your BPs is truly beneficial, I would challenge you to go a couple shed-cycles without doing it. If you provide proper humidity in the enclosure, I guarantee you you will still get perfect shed results. Besides, what do they do that makes you think they 'enjoy' it?

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Everything you've said is 100% correct...

...and your advice is falling on deaf ears.

So if you really want to help, my advice to you is to be there to help when the OP asks for assistance in combating some stress-induced illness further down the line.

Bottom line - regular soaks for a ball pythons are not needed. They come with a plethora of risks and stress the animal. Period. If anyone wants to argue that, prepare to do it with facts, not your limited or incorrect perceptions of what your snake likes or doesn't like.

You can start by enlightening us on the signs of comfort and discomfort in snakes. If you can't do that, don't bother replying.

...and you can provide humidity without misting.

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Originally Posted by DVirginiana

No offense, but if you're not allowed to do something as simple as mist and maintain basic tank conditions, why do you have three BPs? The things you do to work around some of the frankly ridiculous rules you say you have to deal with range from pointless and stressful to borderline dangerous to your BPs (this is taking a lot of older posts into account).
I understand you have to obey the rules of the house, but if you know you're in a situation where someone won't let you properly take care of your snakes why keep getting them?

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Yes I know it's ridiculous. Understand that my MIL is kind of a wack job...for instance, she said I could keep a rat and a week later tried to kill it because she said I was 'annoying her'. I'm not allowed to mist because she uses wood in her tanks and it turns green whenever I mist. Her rule is, if the snake is eating, pooping, and breathing, nothing needs to be done. She almost evicted me for bringing a scale into the house. She says no gauges, no misting, no scales, etc. .. the snake is breathing yes? Then leave it alone. That is HER logic. Now imagine, I am only 18, living with her because I love her daughter and I truly have nowhere else to go nor could I afford it. My family is 4 states North of me and they don't care much either to be frank.
I am LUCKY she said I could get a tstat and the only reason is because I pestered her with pictures of snake burns. Obviously working with this woman is difficult, especially since she likes to say I never do anything but I care for all of the 27 animals under her roof on top of other daily chores AND a job. It is not to say she doesn't love her animals because she does. She just gets lazy in an attempt to save her money and is not fully educated like she should be.

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn