Spilling water non stop

I have a new ball python that I got the day before yesterday. She is only 150 grams or so and I really want to let her settle down and not disturb her, but every time I turn around she has spilled the water from her bowl and humidity is up to over 90%. I have to change the newspaper and take her out again and again several times a day, and that's only when I see it, obviously I am not always in the house I have to work etc. and this can't be good for the settling in process.

Now, before you suggest a bigger heavier water bowl, this snake is only 150 grams and the water bowl is VERY sturdy and large, with a flat bottom, made of porcelain, to the point where even my biggest snake, which is 800 grams or so, (same kind of bowl for all my tubs) can not "over turn" it, only drag it around (and the newspaper with it) a little. Also, when the water is spilled, and the newspaper soaking wet, the bowl seems unmoved.

Whenever I take her out to change the newspaper and wipe everything down, she always spends some time "exploring" the cage again, which is expected since she is new and you take her out she gets a little scared. But it seems that she is only ever calm when the newspaper is soaking wet, then she is in the corner chilling on the heated area.

I even have the water bowl only half full now. It makes me worry if she can find the water, but I am suspecting she is going inside the bowl to displace the water out? I never saw this though when I open the tub she is always chilling in the corner everything soaking wet.

Discuss... LOL

lol, my pied does this all the time.

I now use a deli cup in a 4" plastic pvc thing that they cant knock over since it hits the top before it can be knock over... You know what I mean? Sorry if I cant explain myself better :P

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Originally Posted by ReptilesK2

lol, my pied does this all the time.

I now use a deli cup in a 4" plastic pvc thing that they cant knock over since it hits the top before it can be knock over... You know what I mean? Sorry if I cant explain myself better :P

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I know what you mean. However, I don't think she knocks the thing over at all. The water bowl doesn't seem moved, and it is basically impossible for her to move it. She somehow gets the water out. I think she is going inside and displacing the water out.

Also, whenever the paper is dry, I see her roam the tub. I see her crawling around, looking for a way out like she is nervous. I am looking at the tub across the room right now she is passing over the front of the semi transparent tub, moving around, nosing at the top of the tub corners like she is trying to get out. all other snakes are calm in the rack in their tubs. But when its all wet, she is chililng in the back corner. Obviously, its not ok to let her chill in an environment that is over 90% humidity, no?

By the way is it possible that the snake because of stress WANTS the super high humidity? It is 60% noiw that I just changed the paper but it is only resting when the water is spilled and everything is wet and mist on the walls. When it is on dry paper it won't stop crawling around.

I obviously don't want it in 90 plus % humidity that can cause respiratory problems. But is this what is going on?

I really don't want to change the paper all the time to stress it this snake has just been shipped half way around the world literally, and was delayed a couple days because the breeder's agent lost the export papers. I want to let her calm down. She is restless and crawling around looking for a way out whenever the humidity is 60% and the paper is dry. When everything is wet she is in the back curled in the corner resting.

This is the first time I have gotten the water bowl so that so far no water is spilled. I only filled it to about half. Should I just leave it as is, and give her a day to see if she calms down? Of let her have a soaking wet cage?

I don't really see any other choice other than to get a better water bowl. I have some larger snakes that won't dump my little souffle bowls I use for the babies, but some babies will dump them. If you have a dollar store, or a dollar tree in your area go get one of the glass heart shaped water bowels, none of the snakes can dump those. Otherwise maybe you can find a dog bowl that gets larger towards the bottom, that keeps it from getting flipped. You can't keep using the bowl the snake is dumping, eventually you are going to end up with health problems.

Well, the first thing that strikes me is, does she have a hide ?

If she doesn't, or it is unsuitable for her, she may be fogging the tub to feel more hidden and secure. It is also possible if she is unaccustomed to paper as a substrate, she wets it to make it feel more like aspen or whatever substrate she is used to.

My suggestion to you is to stop filling the water bowl so full. It is completely unnecessary. She only needs a small amount in the bottom so she can drink, that's all. A bowl that is too large or too full is just inviting problems, especially in a new and nervous snake.

Gale

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ReptilesK2

lol, my pied does this all the time.

I now use a deli cup in a 4" plastic pvc thing that they cant knock over since it hits the top before it can be knock over... You know what I mean? Sorry if I cant explain myself better :P

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Lol. What is it with pieds. My pied knocks over his water bowl several times a week! Drags and pushes it around his enclosure....spills it...knocks it over on it's side. Annoying habit!!

Thanks angllady2, yours was the only helpful reply. Don't know why everyone else still thinks it toppled the bowl...

I put the water only half full, and for hours nothing was spilt. Alas, a few hours later, it finally managed to get everything wet again. Don't know what's with this snake.

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Originally Posted by angllady2

Well, the first thing that strikes me is, does she have a hide ?

If she doesn't, or it is unsuitable for her, she may be fogging the tub to feel more hidden and secure. It is also possible if she is unaccustomed to paper as a substrate, she wets it to make it feel more like aspen or whatever substrate she is used to.

My suggestion to you is to stop filling the water bowl so full. It is completely unnecessary. She only needs a small amount in the bottom so she can drink, that's all. A bowl that is too large or too full is just inviting problems, especially in a new and nervous snake.

Gale

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I only fill my bowls about 1/4 full just so they dont overflow when they are soaking.
I have one crabby old male that will get a corner of his paper towel in the water and it will wick out the whole bowl:mad:

I don't think there's enough logical processes going on in their brains for them to have any sort of cause-and-effect lines of thinking. The snake isn't going to think, "If I get in the water bowl, that will spill the water, then condensation will build up and I can hide behind the fogged up walls."

They WILL utilize the water bowl as a sort of hide if the ones they currently have are not to their liking, or if they don't have any other hide at all. They like to feel very snug in their hides, and "hugged" from all sides. Make sure the non-water-bowl hides are small enough and enclosed enough to do that.

Another thing to consider is to check for mites. If she's constantly trying to soak, she may be seeking relief from mites.

I only see two fixes for your problem if she continues to soak. Keep the water even more shallow. I promise, she won't have any trouble finding it. You'll just have to remember to replace it often as it evaporates. OR...get a smaller water dish that she won't be able to crawl into.

In the meantime, reconsider what hides you are using and check for mites. ;)

I will go ahead and put even less water. Maybe 14 full.

She doesn't "Soak" in the bowl per se. She is roaming around, and she goes inside and outside the water bowl, crawling in and out etc. She isn't going in there and soaking for a while. What strange is that once the water is all over the newspaper, she goes to the corner of the enclosure (not in the water bowl) and chills out there calmly. But when the newspaper is dry, she's on the go.

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Originally Posted by JLC

I don't think there's enough logical processes going on in their brains for them to have any sort of cause-and-effect lines of thinking. The snake isn't going to think, "If I get in the water bowl, that will spill the water, then condensation will build up and I can hide behind the fogged up walls."

They WILL utilize the water bowl as a sort of hide if the ones they currently have are not to their liking, or if they don't have any other hide at all. They like to feel very snug in their hides, and "hugged" from all sides. Make sure the non-water-bowl hides are small enough and enclosed enough to do that.

Another thing to consider is to check for mites. If she's constantly trying to soak, she may be seeking relief from mites.

I only see two fixes for your problem if she continues to soak. Keep the water even more shallow. I promise, she won't have any trouble finding it. You'll just have to remember to replace it often as it evaporates. OR...get a smaller water dish that she won't be able to crawl into.

In the meantime, reconsider what hides you are using and check for mites. ;)

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Here's what I done now:

1) Visually inspected for mites and ticks. Seems to be free of those upon visual inspection.
2) I put in new hides that is more secure. This one probably traps heat more than others so what I did was I moved the tub so that it is a few inches to the right and a part of that hide that is on the hot side is not on top of the heat tape, only half is on the heat tape. That's the best I can do since others are on the rack.
3) I took out the newspaper and put in paper towels which are softer and resemble more the feel of the moist newspaper. Could be the dry crackly flaky texture of the newspaper she didn't like, I don't know.
4) I layed down the paper towels so that the sides are not only on the floor but halfway up the walls to make it more secure.
5) I put only 1/4 water in the water bowl. Put it against the side wall as well. Quite frankly I am a little worried about this the bowl is about 5 to 6 cm high I estimate there is only 1.5 cm water in there or so. I trust you she will find it but just feels strange.

I'm leaving her alone for the night. Anything else I should do?

By the way is there any way to encourage a snake to burrow under the paper instead? I don't think any hide I can provide will be as secure as being under the paper towels as that will mold to fit snugly as it is flexible.

I'm not sure if there is anything that you can do to encourage her hiding under the paper towels but trust me, if that is what is going to make her feel the most comfortable, she will figure it out. My normal female and male lesser both do this all the time. I have tried multiple different hides for both of them and they have never used them so I just took the hides out all together. :D

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Originally Posted by hungba

Here's what I done now:

1) Visually inspected for mites and ticks. Seems to be free of those upon visual inspection.
2) I put in new hides that is more secure. This one probably traps heat more than others so what I did was I moved the tub so that it is a few inches to the right and a part of that hide that is on the hot side is not on top of the heat tape, only half is on the heat tape. That's the best I can do since others are on the rack.
3) I took out the newspaper and put in paper towels which are softer and resemble more the feel of the moist newspaper. Could be the dry crackly flaky texture of the newspaper she didn't like, I don't know.
4) I layed down the paper towels so that the sides are not only on the floor but halfway up the walls to make it more secure.
5) I put only 1/4 water in the water bowl. Put it against the side wall as well. Quite frankly I am a little worried about this the bowl is about 5 to 6 cm high I estimate there is only 1.5 cm water in there or so. I trust you she will find it but just feels strange.

I'm leaving her alone for the night. Anything else I should do?

By the way is there any way to encourage a snake to burrow under the paper instead? I don't think any hide I can provide will be as secure as being under the paper towels as that will mold to fit snugly as it is flexible.

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As far as the water spillage, I cant be of much help. It seems like you've already found a solution, hopefully. My newest hatchling who was 180~ grams when I got him also had the problem of wandering around all the time. For the first week, I thought he was just settling down and trying to find an escape. But he continued to wander his tub during the day time, so I added a second hide in his tub and he instantly stopped wandering. I thought at first using one hide would be enough since my other hatchlings only need one b/c they are in a dark rack, but ever since he's had two hides, hes been feeding and shedding great.

If you already have two hides, dont mind me :P And I dont know if this has been said, but if you already have two hides, maybe add some more ground cover?

I didnt read any of the posts above mine yet so sorry if this is a reiteration
rather then change the bowl.. might change the bedding.. I am in love with lizzard litter.
Douglas fir shavings with eucalyptus.
the snakes LOVE it and it leaves great tracs and it absorbs so much mositure like spills and urine and makes clean up great.
AT first its VERY dusty so let it sit a bit before placeing a snake inside but that would fix your humidity prob and i doubt they would be able to spill water if it was sitting in this bedding.

Hope this was some help ha.:D

I finally solved the problem. Nothing else worked until I just ended up getting a SMALLER water bowl. Turns out she wasn't spilling the water, she was going inside the tub and out and dragging the water out wiping it on the substrate.
The smaller tub makes it hard for her to go in. She can stick her head in to drink but not go in.

I also only put maybe 2 cm of water in there. I don't know if this is enough I really worry if she will find it but at the same time I really don't want to open the tub and put more water. What if she spills it again and I have to change everything again and stress her out? She's finally chilling and the tub isn't all wet. Then again I want to make sure she can drink.

What does everyone think?

I would get a hide for it. It sounds as if it is stresses (cruising) and just keeps going in and put of the bowl resulting in everything getting soaked. Get it a hide and it should stop being so restless. I would also move the bowl away from the corners/edges. They tend to roam the perimeter of the enclosure, so just move it out of the path. Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by AGoldReptiles

I would get a hide for it. It sounds as if it is stresses (cruising) and just keeps going in and put of the bowl resulting in everything getting soaked. Get it a hide and it should stop being so restless. I would also move the bowl away from the corners/edges. They tend to roam the perimeter of the enclosure, so just move it out of the path. Hope this helps.

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Just an update everything is well now the snake settled in, no longer spilling and ate her first meal with me.