Soaking a lot???? Should I be concerned?

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OK, I picked up this little one on Sunday. It seemed to be a bit dehydrated, head was very dry looking and it's really thin, under fed maybe? Anyway, when I got home from practice yesterday it was soaking in the water bowl, no biggie right? Well when I left for the office this morning I checked on it before I left and once again it was soaking in the water bowl. How much soaking is too much? After it soaks, should I dry it off? Im concerned a bit because of scale rot. It has no mites (as far as I can tell) but I know that is one reason that they will soak.

Also, I fed it last night and the little thing ate like a champ so that made me feel better :rolleyes:

But whats with all the time being spent in the water bowl????

I have never seen either of my other 2 BPs soaking.

Someone please put my nerves at ease :please::please::please:

The conditions it was kept in before I got it were less than par - no UTH, no hides, no water bowl...poor little thing.

Any ideas? :weirdface

He could be soaking becasue he is dehydrated, or he could just be trying to get away from the heat.

Sometimes it is a sign of mites though. I would check him very carefully for mites. If it is not mites, then you may want to check his temps.

I have also heard of some that get in their water bowl to feel more secure.

Keep us up to date, and good luck.

It can be several things, make sure you do check the water for any little black bugs (mites). Also check the temps if its too hot it might be trying to cool down. Also it may be going into shed some snakes soak before a shed. It might just like the water. With a snake that soak that often you have to make sure you change the water daily because they might use the dish as a potty.

Temps are OK...93 on the warm side and 86 on the cool with ambient temp of 83-85, so I don't think thats an issue. I was thinking it may be soaking to re-hydrate itself, but it spends a good deal of time in the water bowl. How much is too much? I'd hate to see scale rot become an issue because of all the soaking. :weirdface Humidity is staying between 50-55%, so I should be good there too.

Should I dry it off in a towel after these soaking sessions?

Also, I did take a good look at it yesterday - no mites, I checked around the eyes & every where else ;)

Also...no mites in the water & I have changed the water 2X a day because it keeps splashing it out

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Originally Posted by lenastorms

Temps are OK...93 on the warm side and 86 on the cool with ambient temp of 83-85, so I don't think thats an issue. I was thinking it may be soaking to re-hydrate itself, but it spends a good deal of time in the water bowl. How much is too much? I'd hate to see scale rot become an issue because of all the soaking. :weirdface Humidity is staying between 50-55%, so I should be good there too.

Should I dry it off in a towel after these soaking sessions?

Also, I did take a good look at it yesterday - no mites, I checked around the eyes & every where else ;)

Also...no mites in the water & I have changed the water 2X a day because it keeps splashing it out

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I wouldnt worry about drying it off, as long as the substrate is dry I wouldnt worry about scale rot. The snake does look a bit skinny maybe it is rehydrating. I would just let it be keep giving it fresh water and see if anything changes.

Scale rot generally happens when there is wet substrate where the snake is hanging out like under a hide, and too much heat.

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Originally Posted by lenastorms

Temps are OK...93 on the warm side and 86 on the cool with ambient temp of 83-85, so I don't think thats an issue. I was thinking it may be soaking to re-hydrate itself, but it spends a good deal of time in the water bowl. How much is too much? I'd hate to see scale rot become an issue because of all the soaking. :weirdface Humidity is staying between 50-55%, so I should be good there too.

Should I dry it off in a towel after these soaking sessions?

Also, I did take a good look at it yesterday - no mites, I checked around the eyes & every where else ;)

Also...no mites in the water & I have changed the water 2X a day because it keeps splashing it out

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Well the only two things left that I can think of is rehydrating or using the water bowl as a hiding place. Sounds to me like you are doing everything right. Either way, it will likely subside in a few days.

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Originally Posted by Mochelem

I wouldnt worry about drying it off, as long as the substrate is dry I wouldnt worry about scale rot. The snake does look a bit skinny maybe it is rehydrating. I would just let it be keep giving it fresh water and see if anything changes.

Scale rot generally happens when there is wet substrate where the snake is hanging out like under a hide, and too much heat.

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It is REALLY skinny:weirdface my guess is it was under fed. It did eat a small mouse last night. So, I guess I'll keep changing the water a couple times a day and just keep my eye on it.

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

Well the only two things left that I can think of is rehydrating or using the water bowl as a hiding place. Sounds to me like you are doing everything right. Either way, it will likely subside in a few days.

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It does use both hides, so thats a good thing :) I'm going to just keep a watchful eye for anything odd :weirdface

Thanks guys :D

I would personally lower the cool side a wee bit if possible. 86 seems warm to me... But that's up for debate. (we keep ours at 80-81)

Also, he may still be hiding in his water bowl because that's all he knows for security so far. I find sometimes my new babies have no clue what the dark hide is or what it's for.

In the meantime, I would clutter up his cage.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

I would personally lower the cool side a wee bit if possible. 86 seems warm to me... But that's up for debate. (we keep ours at 80-81)

Also, he may still be hiding in his water bowl because that's all he knows for security so far. I find sometimes my new babies have no clue what the dark hide is or what it's for.

In the meantime, I would clutter up his cage.

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When I get home I will adjust the cool side temp to see if that has any positive affect. I have more plants I can throw in there too, so I will do that as well.

Thanks Connie :D

OK, Yesterday when I got home from the office it was in the water bowl - it was in there when I left :weirdface So Im not sure if it spent the whole day in there or what. So yesterday evening I adjusted my cool side temp like Connie suggested - now its fluctuating between 80.4 & 82.1 (It was at 86) and I also "cluttered" up the tank with a bunch more plants. I checked on it before going to bed and it was in the hide on the warm side (93). Checked again this morning - still in that hide. I just came home from work and guess where it was?

:rage: Back in the water bowl of coarse. :confused:

So, now what? :confused:

Sounds to me like you have a snake that likes water... I have an adult that will sit in her water dish for days. Ive had no ill effects from this...

After the snake gets up to weight it may spend less time in the water... Feed the snake every 5 days to get it back to a healthy weight again...

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Originally Posted by Mochelem

Sounds to me like you have a snake that likes water... I have an adult that will sit in her water dish for days. Ive had no ill effects from this...

After the snake gets up to weight it may spend less time in the water... Feed the snake every 5 days to get it back to a healthy weight again...

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haha...so basically I worried for...ummm...pretty much nothing? LMAO!

I honestly did not think BP's were the "soaking" types - other that for a shed or mites blah, blah, blah.

So if I understood correctly - as long as the substrate remains dry, even with the constant soaking I shouldn't have to be concerned about scale rot?

I did attempt to feed it Tuesday of this week and it refused. Tried again on Wednesday and it took a small mouse like a champ :D So I did the happy dance - other half thinks Im a nut :8:
I plan on feeding every 5 days - would it be wrong to feed my other 2 bp's on that same schedule (until the tiny thing puts some weight on)? They eat every 7 days. The male is about a year old and usually eats 2 large mice each feeding and the female is about 6 months old and just switched from 2-3 small mice to 1 large each feeding.

Any input would be appreciated :rolleyes:

Ball pythons that are of a helthy weight I like to only feed every 7 day, however there are some breeders out there who feed thier snakes twice a week to get thier weight up fast.

If you want to feed all of them every 5 days for a couple of months then I dont see a problem..

Just thought I'd post an update... Only because this new BP is spending a LOT of time in the water bowl.

Last night was feeding night...once again ate like a champ :P so no worries there.

Temps are spot on...so no worries there.

But seriously this snake is in the water bowl every day for hours at a time. Every morning when I leave its in the bowl. Every afternoon when I come home its in the bowl.

Tank is cluttered with plants so I'm confident the little thing feels safe. Other than feeding & cleaning the water bowl I've been leaving it alone.

I know ya'll said not to worry...but this just seems so odd.

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Originally Posted by lenastorms

Just thought I'd post an update... Only because this new BP is spending a LOT of time in the water bowl.

Last night was feeding night...once again ate like a champ :P so no worries there.

Temps are spot on...so no worries there.

But seriously this snake is in the water bowl every day for hours at a time. Every morning when I leave its in the bowl. Every afternoon when I come home its in the bowl.

Tank is cluttered with plants so I'm confident the little thing feels safe. Other than feeding & cleaning the water bowl I've been leaving it alone.

I know ya'll said not to worry...but this just seems so odd.

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If you are very concerned, it never hurts to pop into a vet and have a check-up and a fecal sample tested since this is a new snake to you. You can put in a smaller water bowl, not big enough to soak in, that way you can see if it is the water he is after or the comfort. If he tries to get himself in a smaller bowl then there may be an underlying reason he wants/needs to soak. I honestly think it is a security issue, he is comfortable in there. My bp will NOT use him warm hide if is over 90, so it stays 88-90, and my cool hide is about 80.

Don't worry too much!

There's a super simple way to fix this - change the bowl. Get a small, easy to clean, non-tippable bowl (something like a small ceramic ramekin or the like). If the snake can't fit in, it'll get the point and start using it's hides more appropriately. :)

I wouldn't worry too much. But, I would probably bump up the humidity a little for this snake.

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Originally Posted by missi182

You can put in a smaller water bowl, not big enough to soak in, that way you can see if it is the water he is after or the comfort. If he tries to get himself in a smaller bowl then there may be an underlying reason he wants/needs to soak.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

There's a super simple way to fix this - change the bowl. Get a small, easy to clean, non-tippable bowl (something like a small ceramic ramekin or the like). If the snake can't fit in, it'll get the point and start using it's hides more appropriately. :)

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Okey dokey....Smaller bowl it is. ;)

I will change it tonight and see how it goes from there :D

Thanks a bunch guys!!!

You should check for mites. It does not mean it's that, but there is a chance. You might see them floating around in the water bowl.

Have you named Him/Her? yet? If not, might I suggest (Phelps). :D

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Originally Posted by MuzeBallPythons

You should check for mites. It does not mean it's that, but there is a chance. You might see them floating around in the water bowl.

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No Mites :P That was the 1st thing I checked for. Like a few others had mentioned...Im starting to think he just likes the water. Its skin was very dry when I brought it home - I assumed it was just rehydrating, but its been doing this for over a week and spending about 1/2 the day (every day) in the water.

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Originally Posted by snakecharmer3638

Have you named Him/Her? yet? If not, might I suggest (Phelps). :D

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Nope still no name :(

I kinda like Phelps...don't hear that one too often ;)

I was also considering Poot & Pez :8:

Silly I know :D