BP Spending Lots of Time in Water Bowl?

My gpas BP has for the last week he has been spending all his time in his water bowl. He hasnt done it for at least 15 years my grandpa said. Anyone have a idea why?

did you check for mites?

NO, what do they look like?

like black pin heads. hold the snake in good light and look it over and watch for little things moving or embedded in the snakes scales

If there are any what should I do?

Hey! If you see mites on the snake, and your sure they are mites... there is an awesome product called Proven A Mite. You haft to use it just like the directions say, and not over do it. But it works great. Another good one is Black Knight.

Is it possible that the snake is going into shed? Sometimes they will soak a bunch if they are due to shed.

Ok there are no Mites.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

might be too hot

What are the temps in the enclosure, if its too high they will seek somthing to cool down like water.... Also make sure the snake is not burrowing and resting against a heater... My first BP I ever had died from this... I didnt have a thermostat or a good thermometer... (I didnt know what i was doing).... But before it died it was in the wwater dish constantly... Just make sure all of your enviornmental settings are correct...

It is likely one of three things.

The enclosure could be too hot. He may be trying to get away from the heat. Check your temps.

He could have mites. Check for them, and if he does, treat him.

He could be stressed out. Does he have a nice / tight / dark hide. If not it may be time to get him one.

Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

He could have mites. Check for them, and if he does, treat him.

He could be stressed out. Does he have a nice / tight / dark hide. If not it may be time to get him one.

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He doesnt have mites, we checked yesterday. And he has one of those half logs I piled up aspenbedding behind it so it is darker. Ever since I put him on aspen bdding thought he hasnt used that hide, he just curls up next ot his water bowl.

Is the snake soaking excessively? Or curled up next to the water bowl?
As mentioned several times before, it might be a heat or humidity problem... have you checked the heat and humidity levels?

These are both sections from the care sheet here.
TEMPERATURE
~80F (ambient temps)
~90F (basking temps)
75 or below is unhealthy
Night drops in temps are not necessary or desired

HUMIDITY
50%-60%
60%-70% during a shed cycle

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Originally Posted by Chris Rossi

He doesnt have mites, we checked yesterday. And he has one of those half logs I piled up aspenbedding behind it so it is darker. Ever since I put him on aspen bdding thought he hasnt used that hide, he just curls up next ot his water bowl.

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Sounds like he doesnt like the bedding, what did you use before?

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Originally Posted by West Coast Jungle

Sounds like he doesnt like the bedding, what did you use before?

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We used to use Reptile Bark. Ever since we swiched to Aspen he has been a lot more active. His temps are just right.

What are you using to measure his temps?

Stick on thermometers are very inaccurate.

My bp used to spend a lot of time in her water as well. I don't know if it was the humidity being too low or the mites, or maybe/probably even both. Humidity is in the target range and mites are gone, thanks to PAM. I didn't usually see mites on her but I did see them in the water dish. I didn't read the entire thread so forgive me if it was already mentioned but if you have little black specks in your water then there is a mite problem, i would think. PAM is worth it's weight in gold, even with the shipping cost! YIKES! (Almost $9 to ship!)

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Originally Posted by Schlyne

What are you using to measure his temps? Stick on thermometers are very inaccurate.

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Im using a digital thermometer.

I do see little black pin head sized dots in the bottom of his water dish.

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Originally Posted by Chris Rossi

Im using a digital thermometer.

I do see little black pin head sized dots in the bottom of his water dish.

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Thats mites. Buy prevent a mite and treat him.

Great, now how the heck did he get mites.

They can get mites from many places. Did you get him from a pet store? Have you visited any place that their reptiles had mites, like a petstore. If you held one that had mites, then held yours, he could get them. I have never used prevent a mite before, but have heard it works wonders. Make sure you read the instructions fully before using, becasue it is pretty strong. If not used correctly it could harm your little one. Hope this helps.

it is also possible that the mites came in on the bedding. If you bought the bedding from a store that has mite infested snakes, they may have somehow hitched a ride from the store to your home on a nice cushion of aspen. I'd say to dump the aspen, treat the enclosure with the Provent-A-Mite (really easy to follow directions on the can) and put him on paper towels or newspaper until the mites are gone. After that, you can go back to aspen, but you'll want to bake it first at the very least...

We got a load of mites from our bag of substrate! The poor girl was covered in them. If I had to guess, I would say there was probably a couple hundred in the bottom of the water dish. I felt sooo bad. But, after one treatmetn of PAM, they were GONE! I don't recall seeing her sit in her water dish since then either.

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Originally Posted by Chris Rossi

Im using a digital thermometer.

I do see little black pin head sized dots in the bottom of his water dish.

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Sort of like this.....

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...nWaterDish.jpg *photo used with permission of this snake's owner*

Here's a link about snake mites....

http://www.vpi.com/publications/the_...of_snake_mites

Here's where to order Provent-A-Mite online as it's often hard to find it in local pet stores.....

http://www.pro-products.com/miteandtemp.html

I have no reptiles htat have mites and I have not held any that have them. My grandpa has had this snake for over 20+ years so we didnt get him from a pet store htat has mites:P:D.

Will this work http://www.petco.com/product/105902/...-Mite-Off.aspx ? I would get PAM but I would like to get somthing to get the mites off right now, I want them gone. Ill take a pic of his water bowl.

Sorry I have no experience with that product so can't comment on it's effectiveness. Provent-A-Mite is all I've ever used or recommend.

As far as where the mites came from, it could have been in some bedding, you could have been in a pet store or at a snake show and brought home a few hitchhikers, etc. Did you get any other new snakes lately? Anyone been over and handled your snake that might have just handled another snake? Take the snake out anywhere recently?

Mites have about a 30 day life cycle so whatever you do end up using to deal with them, watch for a hatch in about 30 days. If what you use only kills the adults but leaves the eggs intact, you'll be facing round #2 in about a month.

Last but most important, whatever you use read the directions carefully. Some mite stuff you put on the snake, some you don't. Get that confused and spray on the snake what should only be sprayed in the enclosure and you can seriously injure or even kill the snake.

My Bp also got mites a short time after I added some aspen bedding. I used simple to use- Zoomed "mite off" spray, two treatments 3 days apart (spray body of snake and enclosure, furniture etc.) and changed substrate to newspaper. Not had a mite since.

I wouldn't say u definately got the mites from the bedding, but its a good bet

I think I will try Zoomed "mite off" spray first.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Chris Rossi

I have no reptiles htat have mites and I have not held any that have them. My grandpa has had this snake for over 20+ years so we didnt get him from a pet store htat has mites:P:D.

Will this work http://www.petco.com/product/105902/...-Mite-Off.aspx ? I would get PAM but I would like to get somthing to get the mites off right now, I want them gone. Ill take a pic of his water bowl.

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I wouldn't waste my time or money on that stuff! In fact, I have a bottle of it I would give you but it's not worth the shipping cost. I suggest going straight for the PAM. Pro-Product ships quicky. I had it within a week and since you are also in Florida I would think you would have it just as quick. Where in Florida are you?

Pro-Products has the cheapest price on the can of PAM but by the time you add in his $9 shipping cost (for 1st class) you could buy it anywhere for the same total price. He did ship out super quick though so you can't go wrong there.

There is also a method of soaking your bp in water with some dish soap. Do a search on it and that might help for the time being. I don't know what type of soap it is or even how much so you would have to do a search or maybe somebody else will show up with directions. You might also want to clean out the tank and replace the aspen with newspaper and get rid of all of your furniture that can't be cleaned in a bleach solution.

I live in Lakeland FL

Too bad my son is not here or we could have met you at the MX track in lakeland. I'm in Brooksville!

They could have taken a ride on you if you've handled other reptiles that have mites. You could have gotten some in the bedding...etc.

Thanks guys the mites seem to be gone. I got Proven Mite