Where to wash/refill water bowl?

How worried should I be about refilling/washing my BP's water bowl in sinks that humans use? I live with 3 roommates and we share the kitchen and 1 bathroom. I'm assuming the kitchen sink would be a big no-no. And I'm concerned that roommates might use the sink in the one bathroom for face washing and such. The bathtub seems like it might be the best option? Would I need to clean the bathtub every day to avoid bacteria getting on feet in the shower? And should I be concerned if someone wants to take a bath? There's also a more secluded washing sink in a storage room in the basement that mostly just gets used for hand washing and tooth brushing, but I would hate to have to go all the way downstairs every day just to refresh her water. Thoughts? Are there options I'm not thinking of? Where to do you wash/refill your water bowls?

hello, friend! why are you worried about the sink? the bowl doesn't touch the sink, right? how dirty are your roommates and the bathroom where you think this is an issue?

if your tap water (and, apparently, sink) is safe for you to drink from, then it is safe for your snakes. all my snakes get tap water from my bathroom sink.

EDIT: granted, i don't go licking my sink every day, but worrying about filling up water bowls from it isn't an issue for me.

EDIT 2: clean the sink regularly??

I use the tub for soiled dishes, and the kitchen sink for regular washing every three days. Again soiled in the tub, never the kitchen. And after both I spray with F10 SCXD. I know a lot of people use their dishwasher. Right now I only have four, so I do it by hand mostly, but I use to put them in the dishwasher. Never soiled one’s though.

The kitchen sink is the place where you rinse materials which may have touched raw meat...My roommate had a worse time with catching salmonella from undercooked chicken his mom made, lol. Never an issue handling my reptiles or helping with cage cleaning.
For a quick rinse and water change I just use the kitchen sink for mine.


If it's something where there's poop and such involved, I pour it down the toilet, scrub it out with some sanitizer, flush that too and the after rinse happens in either my own bathroom sink or the side yard

Tub and cage cleaning happens in the side yard.

Unless you have roommates that are immunocompromised there shouldn't be any real problems.
My second roomie and I both have immune disorders and neither of us have issues because hand wash protocols and if there is a need for me to do some heavy cleaning in the sink, bleach is the followup as well.

I rinse out bowls in the kitchen sink, holding tubs are cleaned in the bathroom :)

I use my kitchen sink. And clean up after myself. As long as you clean the sink regularly you will be fine. If there's food and stuff rotting in your sink, that's a horse of a different color and you probably need new roommates.

So what you're telling me is that I'm overreacting. Haha!

I think I just got a little overwhelmed after reading about hand washing protocols, salmonella, etc. Especially since I live with 3 other people (hooray for Denver rental prices!) I just want to make sure that I'm being careful.

Sounds like using the kitchen sink for rinsing and the bathroom if it's soiled is a good plan. Thanks for the help!

I use only a bathroom sink for washing snake bowls (or less often, my laundry sink for washing really large bowls or hides). If they happen to poo in their
water bowl, that gets dumped in my flower bed or toilet. I wouldn't use my kitchen sink for this (ever) but I see no issue with using a bathroom sink. It's
likely that our snakes have as much to worry about from OUR germs as we do from theirs. (not saying they WILL "worry") Objects contaminated with fecal
material of any species do not belong in the kitchen, IMO....not because you aren't washing & disinfecting it, but because tiny splashes happen & are likely
to go unnoticed on surrounding surfaces. When it comes to water bowls that do not contain any visible fecal material, the fact remains that they have been
in the cage with a snake that can easily have touched both.

Now that's what I personally do, but anytime you have room-mates, you're going to have to be sensitive to what THEY are OK with...have a conversation.
I personally wouldn't think twice about sharing my tub with a snake, that's where my dogs are bathed too. But you may have to compromise for "peace".

I’d be more concerned about your roommates washing up in any of the sinks or touching anything than washing snake stuff in them.

There’s not much chance of a CB having salmonella. You and your roommates are far more likely to pick up disgusting bugs on yourselves or the food you eat. Do you wash your chicken in the bathroom? Hehe


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For what it’s worth, I always use the tub. I assume the snakes have at some point gotten urates or fecal matter on the bowls and don’t want it in my sinks. If I know the bowls are soiled, the water gets dumped in the toilet, the bowl washed with dish soap in the tub, and the tub gets a quick scrub when I’m done (only if bowl is soiled).