Can a BP drown itself?

rabernet, I'm glad you have never done any of those things with your collection, but there are people who do all the time, and then share pictures and stories on here without being attacked. And... I think you misinterpreted my last statement. I was making the point that opinions about reptile care change over time, and that a few years ago (when I first let my snake go for a swim) not as much was known. People were doing a lot of silly things (with mixed success/failure) that we now don't have to try.

Freakie-frog: Again, there were no fish in the tank! No fish waste, no fish bacteria. There were shrimp which are used as "cleaners" in fish set-ups. Also, I have stated that I have the shedding issues worked out and this has not happened recently. And who said I wouldn't drink aquarium water? :P Snakes getting burnt is a totally different biological issue... There's an old adage that says that you can throw a frog in a pot of boiling water and it will jump out, but if you put the frog in the water and then heat the water it will boil to death. It has to do with not noticing the gradual increase in heat. People do the same thing.

If a snake can't swim safely in an aquarium full of filtered water, what's going to happen to all those snakes out there swimming in rivers, lakes, and the ocean? Which, by the way, you probably allow your own human children to swim in. :O

I'm going to venture a guess that I'm not the only person on here who has let a snake swim in an aquarium... the only person brave enough to admit it? Apparently. Now that people know what happens when they're honest we'll never get to see how many others have had such an experience, and what results they encountered.:(

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Originally Posted by desertpirate

I'm going to venture a guess that I'm not the only person on here who has let a snake swim in an aquarium... the only person brave enough to admit it? Apparently. Now that people know what happens when they're honest we'll never get to see how many others have had such an experience, and what results they encountered.:(

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Oh my, people disagreeing with you is such a horrible experience?


Last I knew, everyone here spoke their mind, and are allowed to do so as long as it isn't offensive and rated PG.

Questioning someone's actions when there is an animal involved is almost always for the betterment and education of others. To make sure that there are always actions providing optimum husbandry for our animals, and also to question those practices that seem harmful or dangerous.

You KNEW that people were going to question you about the practice of letting your BP swim in a fish tank, lets try to not come off as surprised and offended.

I wouldn't drink fish/shrimp/other water, and I wouldn't expect my snakes to swim around it either. I know just enough about fish tanks to know that whats floating around in the tank isn't magically purified by your shrimp.

Shrimp can help with larger particals, but as usual, frequent water changes, scrubbers and all sorts of doo dads do the work because frankly, it's nasty in there.


The only reason I would not allow my BP to swim in a fish tank is because I fear any number of floating bacteria and germs in the water could very easily take up rooming underneath the scale of my snake. The skin of a ball python is sensitive between the scales and often this is where scale rot begins. Scale rot is a fungus or bacteria, or sometimes both.

Do I personally know everything that's running around in a fish tank to know with complete certainty that he is adapated to swimming around in that water without fear of infection? No, I don't, and so I would rather soak my snake in his tub with clean water.

I've seen snakes attempt to kill themselves by launching off of a table, or push and nudge on a screen top over and over again, like they have never nudged that spot before. They aren't the brightest creatures and I wouldn't put it past them to not find the obviously OPEN aquarium lid to get out, and tire and drown from constant swimming.

As it is, you have complete control over this snake. It was my long way of saying your going to do what you want, I just hope your always putting the best of intentions and common sense into everything you do with this snake.

Wow....I don't have internet at home right now, so it's been a while since I posted this since I have been on. This has turned out more interesting than I had thought.

I guess where I was thinking that a snake may drown while constricting is b/c they are so concentrated on it. To bring it back up, snakes will get burned by staying on a heat source, I just didn't know if they were under water while constricting, if there could be that risk of getting hurt.

She has done it before, but my girl usually makes a very quick kill, so that is what alarmed me this time. She was in there for so long. Thank you to the people that posted the long times that their snakes had been under. I had no idea they could stay submerged that long!!

ok so here is my 2 cents DONT PUT YOUR SNAKE IN THE FISH TANK lol i mean that in the nicest way possible sure some snakes enjoy swimming my uncle had a burm that spent most of its time in a little kiddie pool but the water was cleaned out every day. dude its fine to let you snakes swim but make sure the water is clean and make sure they can easily get out of the water =]