Question on soaking..

Ok today is feeding day. My first feed as Hydras owner. She is a 3 month old female BP. Well, last night about 12 am she started soaking in her water. Well, she soaked all night and it is now 12:19 pm and she is still in there. Could there be a problem? or is she just getting ready to shed?

Are her eyes blue? Or does she look anything like the bottom one in this picture:

http://img5.photobucket.com/albums/v...yla_Caesar.jpg

If she does, then she is going to shed. Has she been inactive for a couple of days? That could also mean she is going to shed. If not, she may just want to soak OR there is always the possibility of mites. What substrate is she on? If you can, get her on paper towels so you can quarantine and monitor for mites. They are tiny black bugs about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Sometimes smaller. So, check that out.

Jennifer

well, she is on exo terra forest bark. No, her eyes aren't blue and she does not look like she is getting ready to shed. She has been really active the past few days. I will definetly check for mites tonight. When i take her out to feed i will lay paper towel down to check. Thank you

My avatar pic was taken of her last night right after she climbed in too soak. So it is recent.

Oh, by the way, did you get my PM?

Jennifer

I've got $5 that says she sheds within two weeks.

Well, funny you should say that cause after I returned her to her cage today she immediatly went back to the water and I got a better look at her and she is getting that look on her. I am noticing thorughout her whole body and over her eye. So maybe you are right randy..

justin

Sometimes they will also soak if the cage is too warm....what are your temps? Are you measuring them with a good digital thermometer?

Justin, when I got my first bp, I brought him home and he immediately went for the water bowl and soaked for over 24 hours straight. I have a couple pics of him soaking for the first time in my gallery. As David said, they will soak if the temps are too high... which mine were (by only 3 degrees!!). I try to think of a bp's temps like this... Our body normal temps (humans) are 98.6, and if we are even a degree over that we not only are, but feel hot. Since snakes are cold-blooded, whatever the cage temp is also their body temp. So imagine being a ball python in a 100 degree tank. Just my 2 cents, check the temps time and time again, check the humidity, check for mites, and if none of those are the case it's probably just loosening it's skin. In a rare case, your snake is soaking to help its shed, even if the other signs are yet to be displayed.

ok I get that. One thing, i do read on here about humidity...whats the thing called that measures that so I can get one. I know i am dumb for not having one already...but i need one obivously..so the sooner the better. My temps are 87 on the warm side 79 on the cool side wih and ambient temp of 82 degrees.....