Ball Python Soaking?

Loki is my three year old male Pastel Super Stripe. I've had him for a month and 18 days.
I went out of town for ten days. Not a huge deal, fed him before a left and fed him when I got back.
That was the 7th when I came home. A few days ago, so about four or five days after, he started soaking. Daily.
I've checked his temperatures and humidity, everything is good. Checked for mites both on him and if there was anything moving in the water, nothing. And he doesn't seem stressed and is still eating. (I've checked my other reptiles and no signs of mites either) His eyes aren't cloudy like he's about to shed either.
So why is he soaking? He'll explore all night, slithering around his house, acting fine. But when I wake up in the afternoon (night shift worker) he's in his bowl. As I type this, his whole body is submerged except his head.
Does he just like water? Is that just something he just wanted to start doing? That seems to be a strange thing to just start happening.

I’ve had similar situations with a couple of my males, so have some other members on here. As long as your husbandry is on point, it seems to be something some do on occasion. As long as he has sufficient hides and no know problems, my pied male about two months ago pulled a similar stunt. Hope this helps.

I know you said you'd check the water for mites but it may be worth , when he's damp or wet - giving him a good wipe over with some pure white kitchen roll/ paper as any mites will show up easily .


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I know you said temps are good, but please clarify so we can better help you.

What are your temps? Hot spot? Cool side? Ambient?
Are your heat sources regulated by a thermostat??

could there be an upcoming shed? my girl Coffee Bean is my only beep that ive ever caught soaking, and it's typically before a shed just before she starts getting a pink belly and faded coloring. she's done it since a hatchling.

ive had my panic attacks, quadruple-checked her and her husbandry, and my conclusion is it's just what she does. lol.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a7382e26f2.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0992cee596.jpg

All 3 posts above covered my suggestions- recheck for mites, temps in cage? (too hot?) and oncoming shed?

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I know you said temps are good, but please clarify so we can better help you.

What are your temps? Hot spot? Cool side? Ambient?
Are your heat sources regulated by a thermostat??

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Good points !

Also that thermometer ( on the right? ) looks to have a wired probe .... is that on the floor of the Viv / tank ?
How is the probe secured ?

Is it on over the warmest place of the floor ?



If you haven't got one already , treat yourself to a digital temp gun for checking all the surface temps in a second ..

They're only 10 dollars off eBay ..

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f3ab1060d2.jpg

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I know you said temps are good, but please clarify so we can better help you.

What are your temps? Hot spot? Cool side? Ambient?
Are your heat sources regulated by a thermostat??

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Cool side typically will range from 76-82. Depending on my house temp is at. Hot spot is 90-92 with heat mat and thermostat. Ambient is usually right at 80. Humidity is usually 55.

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

could there be an upcoming shed? my girl Coffee Bean is my only beep that ive ever caught soaking, and it's typically before a shed just before she starts getting a pink belly and faded coloring. she's done it since a hatchling.

ive had my panic attacks, quadruple-checked her and her husbandry, and my conclusion is it's just what she does. lol.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a7382e26f2.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0992cee596.jpg

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I kind of thought it would be shed. But his eyes aren't cloudy yet, so it must be very early. And that last picture is exactly what he's doing. But as this is my first ball python, I figured it better to ask if this is normal than not and it be too late.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I know you said you'd check the water for mites but it may be worth , when he's damp or wet - giving him a good wipe over with some pure white kitchen roll/ paper as any mites will show up easily .


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Will do when I get home. If for nothing but peace of mind.
I immediately thought mites, looked up how to check and the signs. He matches none of the symptoms or signs. And found no trace of them.

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Originally Posted by mischiefneko

Will do when I get home. If for nothing but peace of mind.
I immediately thought mites, looked up how to check and the signs. He matches none of the symptoms or signs. And found no trace of them.

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Here's hoping it isn't mites and things work out !


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It isn't mites. I wiped him with a paper towel and no dots or anything.
But I when I picked him up to check he felt cool. Should I moves the bowl a bit more to the warm side? Or get a small heat lamp? That's fine if he needs to soak but I'm now worried that he's too cold.
He hasn't left his bowl since last night, from what I've seen.

Good news about the mites [emoji4]

Hi ..

May I enquire as to what you're using to check the surface temps and humidity ?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...174fa70df0.jpg

One of these or similar, by any chance ?




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Remember that we're 98.6* so most snakes (even warm ones) feel cool to us.

Sounds like he WANTS to be cooler, & has chosen the water for that reason. Snakes do need these options, so unless there's something incorrect about
the temps he has available, don't move the water or add heat. Snakes soak when they feel the need for hydration or lower temps, & yes, for mites but
thankfully you've found none. (I'd keep checking though, especially if he isn't going into a shed cycle. Mites are hard to find, but snakes can feel them
whether or not we can see them.)

Snakes can obviously feel a shed cycle coming on long before we can see any evidence...I've noticed this over the years, they just know. And shedding
requires good hydration from their bodies (as does digestion). I think he knows what he needs, take his word for it.

@Zincubus Yes I have a couple of those that are both a thermometer and hygrometer in one. And the heat mat is regulated by a thermostart to keep the warm side pretty constant.
@Bogertophis I posted his current temps a couple posts ago. And I know snakes are cooler than we are, but he seems cooler than normal.

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Originally Posted by mischiefneko

@Zincubus Yes I have a couple of those that are both a thermometer and hygrometer in one. And the heat mat is regulated by a thermostart to keep the warm side pretty constant.
@Bogertophis I posted his current temps a couple posts ago. And I know snakes are cooler than we are, but he seems cooler than normal.

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Hi ... I'm afraid those stick on ones are basically USELESS for the purpose you want .. you HAVE to know the surface temps of the areas your snake will be lying over .. sadly those stick on ones just give a very approximate guide and only the ambient air temps near the gadget itself ... worse still the thermometers are wildly inaccurate.. I stick them on my snake room for decoration only but you can see there are two next to each other in my photo and they're reading a 20 degree difference !!

The stick on hygrometers are even more useless !

You need at least one ideally couple of digital thermometers with wired probes ..

Also get yourself a digital temp gun for instant checking of random surface temps .. they are less than ten dollars off eBay or Amazon..

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d6719c604.jpeg


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I don't have mine sticking on the side of the tank. I rest it on one side, wait a few minutes then check the reading. I haven't gotten around to buying a digital reader yet

Ordered! I don't know what I was typing in the first time. When I first looked into getting them they were $50+ and I just didn't have that.

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Originally Posted by mischiefneko

I don't have mine sticking on the side of the tank. I rest it on one side, wait a few minutes then check the reading. I haven't gotten around to buying a digital reader yet

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Ok .. thing is you really don't know what the surface temps under the warm hide are .. they could well be dangerously high . .. it may actually explain the odd soaking behaviour ..

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Ok .. thing is you really don't know what the surface temps under the warm hide are .. they could well be dangerously high . .. it may actually explain the odd soaking behaviour ..

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Even with the thermostat regulating it? I have it set for 90 degrees Fahrenheit. He's been balled under there before with no issues. For like four days straight he lived in that hide.

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Originally Posted by mischiefneko

Even with the thermostat regulating it? I have it set for 90 degrees Fahrenheit. He's been balled under there before with no issues. For like four days straight he lived in that hide.

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Sadly the thermostat just gives an approximate reading - it has to be adjusted by you - using a decent thermometer...

I'd get a digital temp gun for ten dollars as soon as possible then adjust the thermostat accordingly.



Even one of these for 3 to 4 dollars off eBay will suffice for general use after the stat has been set up correctly.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...99b1dfcd59.png




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My temperature gun should arrive tomorrow. But I'm still certain that it isn't temperature that is bothering him. As I imagine he would've been doing this a month ago and not a month and a half down the road. Still no sign of mites.
I moved his water bowl to the warm side, after turning it down to high 80s so I don't cook him. Then put in a second bowl for the cold side, in case he got too hot. I know you guys said not to, but he is so much happier. I was concerned he was cold, and it was to the point he wasn't moving. Not at me opening the drawers of my dresser that he's on, not gently rubbing his side. The only thing I could do to get him to move was booping his snoot.
He is still in his warm water bowl and he is scoping and looking around. Watching me curiously. Acting normal. Still not leaving his bowl, but he's moving around. He has to be close to shed, to me that's the only logical explanation.

It's an interesting one ..

I'd get some pure white kitchen roll / paper and let him slide through it , then check the paper very carefully for mites ..


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Okay, according to the temp gun, his cool side is 75. And with the lowered temperature on the warm side it's 86. But that's after I lowered it to not cook him in his water. I do have another snake next to him, so I may move Jasper's warm side to be next to his to warm it up a bit.
I have changed his water, with no signs of any bugs in it. Nothing moving. I've wiped him with a paper towel, I've wiped him with a clean white washcloth. No spots or anything. And he isn't irritable like I've read they tend to get with mites. And he's still eating, which I read they won't.
So I have no idea what's going on.

The sides and back of their tanks are blacked out so they can't see each other! I don't want you guys to think my snakes are trying to kill each other or anything. I'm a good snake mom (or I try to be)

Everything is okay now? I just came home and he's mostly coiled under his warm hide, with his head and a few inches of 'neck' sticking out. So I guess he's going to shed soon.
Actually as I type this he's actually came out and exploring his tank like nothing happened. So I've raised his warm side back to 90 degrees.
Jeez. Baby boy made me worry for so long.

And he's like, "Made you look! hahaha!" :rolleyes: Snakes! can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em...

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

And he's like, "Made you look! hahaha!" :rolleyes: Snakes! can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em...

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That's so scary though! I'm used to my sand boa and his habits. I read up on ball pythons FOREVER before getting one. I've never read about them doing that! So I was panicking! Now he's acting fine and I'm just at a loss for words.

I know how you feel...I think most of us do! ;)

I think we have to remember how limited their cages really are, as far as temperature variations. I suspect they crave some
cooler temps. now & then than most keepers offer. We've decided what's right for best results but they have more options in
the wild.

He must be messing with me. He was out and about for a few days. Sleeping in his hides and exploring. I thought all this was over. THEN I fed him last night and he's back in his bowl. All day today.
WHY LOKI!? Why do you stress your mother so?!

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Originally Posted by mischiefneko

He must be messing with me. He was out and about for a few days. Sleeping in his hides and exploring. I thought all this was over. THEN I fed him last night and he's back in his bowl. All day today.
WHY LOKI!? Why do you stress your mother so?!

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They do absorb some water while soaking, and they do need extra hydration both for digesting and shedding, so maybe he just senses that he needs this?

Or maybe he's like the little kid that will only drink thru a straw...have you tried giving him a colorful straw? ;)

On the other hand, maybe he's diabetic? if there IS such a thing??? (I don't see why not...or hyperglycemic?)

http://www.anapsid.org/diabetes.html

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

They do absorb some water while soaking, and they do need extra hydration both for digesting and shedding, so maybe he just senses that he needs this?

Or maybe he's like the little kid that will only drink thru a straw...have you tried giving him a colorful straw? ;)

On the other hand, maybe he's diabetic? if there IS such a thing??? (I don't see why not...or hyperglycemic?)

http://www.anapsid.org/diabetes.html

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Honestly, I have no idea. He didn't soak the first like four times I fed him.

After almost a month he's back to hanging out in his hides. And I did noticed while I was handling him the other day that some of his darker markings were a bit duller. And some scales on his head had more defined white lines lining the scales. Seeing as most of body is a very pale yellow, it's pretty hard to tell if he was about to shed. But that was a hell of a long time to soak and his eyes still aren't smokey.
Again, AT LEAST twice a week I wiped him with paper towel to check for mites and never saw anything.

For anyone who may still be watching this thread, Loki just shed today. So apparently he felt the need to soak for a month and a half BEFORE actually shedding. Jeez, drama king.

He just wanted to see if you cared? ha ha ha...;)