Can a BP drown itself?

Ok, when I feed my girl I leave the hide that she is in and her water bowl in her cage. She seems to feel more secure like that and usually makes a quicker kill.

Last time I fed her she struck and then coiled into her water bowl. There wasn't much water in it and her nose was out of the water so I didn't worry about it. She has also done that before and wiggled her way out of the water while coiled. Anyways, I was watching her and she shifted, and I couldn't tell if her nose was underwater or not. I didn't want to disturb her while she was constricting, so I just left her for a bit. I watched the whole time, and what seemed like long after she would have usually let go, she was still coiled. I got scared that she was drowning herself so I nudged her to see if she would jump....she didn't so I kinda freaked out. I lifted her hide (she was still half in her hide) and she was still breathing, so I nudged her again (good this time) and she finally uncoiled and started eating. Scared the life out of me.

That aside, later I was telling my b/f about it, and he was saying that to him, he thinks that an animal will let go of the food before they kill themselves like that. It just seems to me that if a snake were coiled around food, and was underwater, I don't know that they would let go. I agree with him that if it were a mammal, I can see it giving up the food and living, but I just don't know that I can see a reptile doing that....

What do you guys think? Any other experiences with this kind of thing with reptiles?

I've had many snakes take a dive into their water bowl after striking and I don't worry about it. They know what they're doing.

I have one that coils in the water and completely submerges itself. I would expect they can stay underwater for a long period of time. I have also had them constrict food in the water bowl without any issues.

I've had a few hatchlings do this. After they hit the mouse I use the tongs to grab the prey by the tail and quickly move them out of the water. I have never seen any ill effects in doing this as they always eat just as normal afterward.

They can stay underwater for a long time. When mine has a partial shed and I need to wet him down to help get the rest off I let him swim in the aquarium (supervised, of course). He appears to love it... he swims for a while and then hides in among the plants. He comes up for air when he needs it.

I've had both my corn snakes and two of my ball pythons constrict inside their water bowl. I just reach in and grab the most prominent coil and just lift them out of the bowl and just place them next to it. They are so busy constricting that they really dont notice and business goes on as usual. If it makes you nervous about it, try not to feed over the water bowl or remove it right before feeding. You can always put the bowl back later. :D

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Originally Posted by desertpirate

They can stay underwater for a long time. When mine has a partial shed and I need to wet him down to help get the rest off I let him swim in the aquarium (supervised, of course). He appears to love it... he swims for a while and then hides in among the plants. He comes up for air when he needs it.

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uhm.. can you get a video or pictures of this next time around? I'd really be interested in seeing that. thanx. :D

I agree with all of the above.... Mine will sumurge itself under for I know at least 45 min. I watched and timed him. Nothing to worry about.:gj:

I take showers with my snake sometimes. I get the water nice and warm and put his hide box on a shelf( so he isnt on the cold floor where I could step on him) and before I even let him in I use hot water to make all the surfaces warm so he can have a ball. I get those bird shower stick things and wrap silky plants on it so he has shelter but instead of staying in his hide he sits on top of it and lets the water massage the lower half of his body. He gets so relaxed! He yawns and sniffs here and there. When I do take showers with him I use Loreal for Kids so its safe and non toxic. I have never gotten suds on him though cause he is on the other side of my shower. Sometimes when I first change his water he coils up in it cause i make sure its warm water. He will submerge in his water for a really long time sometimes. HAHA! Speaking of submerging he is chilling in his water dish as we speak! he's just about to shed.

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Originally Posted by desertpirate

They can stay underwater for a long time. When mine has a partial shed and I need to wet him down to help get the rest off I let him swim in the aquarium (supervised, of course). He appears to love it... he swims for a while and then hides in among the plants. He comes up for air when he needs it.

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I really would not recommend that - not to mention not knowing what sort of bacteria your guy is picking up in the acquarium. They are not water snakes and I seriously doubt that he loves it.

I'd be looking at your husbandry and why he's having partial sheds rather than giving him field trips to the acquarium. There's a right way to soak a snake and a wrong way - and that's just very wrong. :(

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

I take showers with my snake sometimes. I get the water nice and warm and put his hide box on a shelf( so he isnt on the cold floor where I could step on him) and before I even let him in I use hot water to make all the surfaces warm so he can have a ball. I get those bird shower stick things and wrap silky plants on it so he has shelter but instead of staying in his hide he sits on top of it and lets the water massage the lower half of his body. He gets so relaxed! He yawns and sniffs here and there. When I do take showers with him I use Loreal for Kids so its safe and non toxic. I have never gotten suds on him though cause he is on the other side of my shower. Sometimes when I first change his water he coils up in it cause i make sure its warm water. He will submerge in his water for a really long time sometimes. HAHA! Speaking of submerging he is chilling in his water dish as we speak! he's just about to shed.

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Pretty cool! U have any pics of him in there? None of you please don't swing that way.....:rofl: But would be interested in seeing that.

i work at an exotic pet shop and just a few weeks ago i soaked a 7 1/2 ft salmon RTB and his mate who is a 8 1/2 ft columbian. we would soak them together all the time and everything would be fine but this one time the bigger girl RTB must have sat on the salmons head on accident and he drowned :tears: it was really sad.

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Originally Posted by scales owner

Pretty cool! U have any pics of him in there? None of you please don't swing that way.....:rofl: But would be interested in seeing that.

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LOL! Of course! I have been meaning to get new batteries for my camera! I will give him a shower tonight and send you guys lots of pics... Maybe even some video. I'll wear a swim suit so its not so awkward kk? lol. Some of you may think I'm cruel but Ki loves it. he truely does! if he was scared or upset he would flail.. he always flails when he is scared. I promise I let him do his own thing. I don't make him swim and if he is sick of the water he has his hidebox. I try to make the time in the tub a relaxing experiance. It helps us bond. I would never force him to do anything he didn't want to. >_< I spoil him....

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Originally Posted by desertpirate

They can stay underwater for a long time.

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Because they can does not mean they should :colbert:

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When mine has a partial shed and I need to wet him down to help get the rest off I let him swim in the aquarium (supervised, of course).

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This is a Ball Python not a fish he does not belong in an aquarium.

If your BP has shed issues address the problem the way it should be addressed not by doing something that can put your BP into harms way.

I've seen BP's drown their prey. Face down in the water bowl and just hold them there.

Luna, you crack me up. You really take snake keeping to the next level. Picks please!!!

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Originally Posted by andwhy6

i work at an exotic pet shop and just a few weeks ago i soaked a 7 1/2 ft salmon RTB and his mate who is a 8 1/2 ft columbian. we would soak them together all the time and everything would be fine but this one time the bigger girl RTB must have sat on the salmons head on accident and he drowned :tears: it was really sad.

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why would you soak them together and all the time?

Do not make assumptions about my husbandry. When I posted about putting the snake in the aquarium I was well aware that some people wouldn't think it was okay. I think it is. I leave the lid open and he can climb out when he's done. I usually have to pull him out when I'm done watching. He holds onto the plants and pulls them out with him. It hasn't happened recently, anyway. Most of his shedding issues occurred when we moved to the desert, where there's only about 5% humidity. It took some time to adjust their enclosures to a new environment. Two days ago he had a perfect shed.

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Originally Posted by desertpirate

Do not make assumptions about my husbandry. When I posted about putting the snake in the aquarium I was well aware that some people wouldn't think it was okay. I think it is. I leave the lid open and he can climb out when he's done. I usually have to pull him out when I'm done watching. He holds onto the plants and pulls them out with him. It hasn't happened recently, anyway. Most of his shedding issues occurred when we moved to the desert, where there's only about 5% humidity. It took some time to adjust their enclosures to a new environment. Two days ago he had a perfect shed.

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What desert do you live in? I live in AZ (near Phoenix) and its usually around 30% here

I'm in New Mexico.

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Originally Posted by desertpirate

I'm in New Mexico.

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Humidity is 35% today

http://www.wunderground.com/US/NM/Albuquerque.html

I think it is pretty similar to the humidity we have here, ours goes lower but average is 25-30% here. I can understand having some shedding problems after moving to a different climate, but the humidity is no where near 5%. Glad to hear the shedding has cleared up.

Yeah, I don't think that they would suffocate, they have a survival instinct just like other animals, fight or flight, and if they can't breathe, they'll adjust.

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Originally Posted by desertpirate

Do not make assumptions about my husbandry. When I posted about putting the snake in the aquarium I was well aware that some people wouldn't think it was okay. I think it is. I leave the lid open and he can climb out when he's done. I usually have to pull him out when I'm done watching. He holds onto the plants and pulls them out with him. It hasn't happened recently, anyway. Most of his shedding issues occurred when we moved to the desert, where there's only about 5% humidity. It took some time to adjust their enclosures to a new environment. Two days ago he had a perfect shed.

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if someone says their snake is partially shedding then its probably safe to assume certain things about their husbandry.

i think that by putting your snake in an aquarium with fish living in it, you are exposing the snake and the fish to unecessary and possibly harmful bacteria and/or conditions.

why not set up a tank without fish for your snake to swim in?;)

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Originally Posted by desertpirate

Do not make assumptions about my husbandry. When I posted about putting the snake in the aquarium I was well aware that some people wouldn't think it was okay. I think it is. I leave the lid open and he can climb out when he's done. I usually have to pull him out when I'm done watching. He holds onto the plants and pulls them out with him. It hasn't happened recently, anyway. Most of his shedding issues occurred when we moved to the desert, where there's only about 5% humidity. It took some time to adjust their enclosures to a new environment. Two days ago he had a perfect shed.

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I'm really curious to know why you think it's ok to put your snake in a fish aquarium?

And I'd also like to point out that this is NOT something that this site endorses to anyone wondering how to deal with a stuck shed to try. We have a sticky for the proper way to soak a ball python with stuck shed here:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=43403

It sounds to me like there may be some anthromorphizing going on in thinking the snake enjoys it.

The 5% was an exaggeration, but only a slight one. Here's why: When we moved here last year there were about 8 months of drought. I was running a humidifier 24/7 just to get the house to 20-25%. We didn't even have the yearly monsoon season (our 1 month of precip.)- it just didn't happen. There were days when the sun wasn't up yet and the humidity was already as low as 12% out there. The current humidity (31%) reflects the fact that our monsoon season was last month, the river is full, and a thunderstorm passed through last night.

Also, the snake did not swim with fish... just a breeding colony of tiny shrimp.

tweets- I apologize that my attempt to alleviate your fears resulted in a hostile takeover of your thread, however, you can rest assured that your snake will not drown in its water bowl!

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Originally Posted by desertpirate

Do not make assumptions about my husbandry. When I posted about putting the snake in the aquarium I was well aware that some people wouldn't think it was okay. I think it is. I leave the lid open and he can climb out when he's done. I usually have to pull him out when I'm done watching. He holds onto the plants and pulls them out with him. It hasn't happened recently, anyway. Most of his shedding issues occurred when we moved to the desert, where there's only about 5% humidity. It took some time to adjust their enclosures to a new environment. Two days ago he had a perfect shed.

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Instead of using a fish tank, you can use a deep sterilite tub (66 or 70 qt). Sometimes blood owners "swim" their animal to help them pass along poo, but not so much for getting off stuck shed.

I have personally just put some water into their tub, and put it back in the rack. It's warm, clean, and it gets the shed off without the potential risk.

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Originally Posted by edie

What desert do you live in? I live in AZ (near Phoenix) and its usually around 30% here

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weird....Humidity in YOUR desert brought up twice inless that 24 hours............(begin twilight zone music)

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I'm really curious to know why you think it's ok to put your snake in a fish aquarium?

And I'd also like to point out that this is NOT something that this site endorses to anyone wondering how to deal with a stuck shed to try. We have a sticky for the proper way to soak a ball python with stuck shed here:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=43403

It sounds to me like there may be some anthromorphizing going on in thinking the snake enjoys it.

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I would like to know why it's not okay. I think the water in my aquarium is not any more dangerous than the grass , porches and driveways people bring their snakes out to slither around in, and certainly not as dangerous as bringing a snake to a pet store so it can be exposed to diseases such as IBD. (By the way, I have never done any of those things- have you?) It's probably also less harmful than swimming in chlorine, chloramines, fluoride, and whatever else your city puts in your tap water.

The snake had a choice. I held my hand over the water. It could have stayed on my hand, left my hand and climbed down the outside of the tank, or left my hand and entered the water. It entered the water of its own free will. And stayed there. He came up for air, could have climbed out but didn't, and went back under the water. No anthroPOmorphizing, just observing the choices the snake made.

As for where I got the crazy idea to soak a snake with a stuck shed? Back in 2005 when I got into snakes I did tons of research, and that was the most up-to-date information available. Where, you ask? Why, here, on this very forum, of course! I stopped reading the forum when I got sick of how mean everyone was to one another. Only recently did I return to reading it, and was impressed that it wasn't so offensive anymore. I also learned how quickly and easily people forget that the techniques they view as so horrible today were practically "state of the art" quite recently. Take a look through some old posts and be grateful that others were in the trenches trying new things so that you don't have to today.

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I would like to know why it's not okay. I think the water in my aquarium is not any more dangerous than the grass , porches and driveways people bring their snakes out to slither around in, and certainly not as dangerous as bringing a snake to a pet store so it can be exposed to diseases such as IBD. (By the way, I have never done any of those things- have you?)

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Nope, my collection has never been in the grass, the porch, driveway or even pet store. They are kept in my home, only taken out to the vet when first coming into my collection.

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As for where I got the crazy idea to soak a snake with a stuck shed? Back in 2005 when I got into snakes I did tons of research, and that was the most up-to-date information available. Where, you ask? Why, here, on this very forum, of course!

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And we still recommend soaking for a stuck shed - just not in your aquarium.

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Take a look through some old posts and be grateful that others were in the trenches trying new things so that you don't have to today.

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Surely you're not suggesting that swimming in an aquarium is a new ball python husbandry technique? :weirdface

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I would like to know why it's not okay. I think the water in my aquarium is not any more dangerous than the grass , porches and driveways people bring their snakes out to slither around in, and certainly not as dangerous as bringing a snake to a pet store so it can be exposed to diseases such as IBD. (By the way, I have never done any of those things- have you?) It's probably also less harmful than swimming in chlorine, chloramines, fluoride, and whatever else your city puts in your tap water.

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If that was all that was in your water in the aquarium then it would be fine. However there is fish waste dissolved in the water along with old uneaten food, urine and many many more nasty things. There's bacteria that live on your fish that they require to live. How these things will affect your snake is unknown. It might be fine then again it might get a bacteria that is harmless to fish but when introduce under reptile scales grow unknown to you that then kill it for no known reason. or even worse think if any of that gets in his mouth or nose and introduce into mucus membrane God I can only imagine the things that could happen. If you wouldn't drink the water your putting your snake in why should he be exposed to it.

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The snake had a choice. I held my hand over the water. It could have stayed on my hand, left my hand and climbed down the outside of the tank, or left my hand and entered the water. It entered the water of its own free will. And stayed there. He came up for air, could have climbed out but didn't, and went back under the water. No anthroPOmorphizing, just observing the choices the snake made.

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Ever had a snake get burned? They stay over a malfunctioning piece of heat tape till they cook. They had the "choice" to move but didn't why they didn't know they were in danger. As a pet keeper it your job to only allow your pet to be exposed to things that are not harmful to it. You fill a Hotdog with razor blades and give it to a dog guess what he'll still try and eat it. It your job to keep them from things like that.

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As for where I got the crazy idea to soak a snake with a stuck shed? Back in 2005 when I got into snakes I did tons of research, and that was the most up-to-date information available. Where, you ask? Why, here, on this very forum, of course! I stopped reading the forum when I got sick of how mean everyone was to one another. Only recently did I return to reading it, and was impressed that it wasn't so offensive anymore. I also learned how quickly and easily people forget that the techniques they view as so horrible today were practically "state of the art" quite recently. Take a look through some old posts and be grateful that others were in the trenches trying new things so that you don't have to today.

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I have been here since before 2004 and NEVER! have I seen anyone suggest that to remove stuck shed that you let them swim in a fish tank and have the suggestion be met with approval.

Please stop exposing your pet to unknown danger and heed our suggestions of how to properly care for your pet.

rabernet, I'm glad you have never done any of those things with your collection, but there are people who do all the time, and then share pictures and stories on here without being attacked. And... I think you misinterpreted my last statement. I was making the point that opinions about reptile care change over time, and that a few years ago (when I first let my snake go for a swim) not as much was known. People were doing a lot of silly things (with mixed success/failure) that we now don't have to try.

Freakie-frog: Again, there were no fish in the tank! No fish waste, no fish bacteria. There were shrimp which are used as "cleaners" in fish set-ups. Also, I have stated that I have the shedding issues worked out and this has not happened recently. And who said I wouldn't drink aquarium water? :P Snakes getting burnt is a totally different biological issue... There's an old adage that says that you can throw a frog in a pot of boiling water and it will jump out, but if you put the frog in the water and then heat the water it will boil to death. It has to do with not noticing the gradual increase in heat. People do the same thing.

If a snake can't swim safely in an aquarium full of filtered water, what's going to happen to all those snakes out there swimming in rivers, lakes, and the ocean? Which, by the way, you probably allow your own human children to swim in. :O

I'm going to venture a guess that I'm not the only person on here who has let a snake swim in an aquarium... the only person brave enough to admit it? Apparently. Now that people know what happens when they're honest we'll never get to see how many others have had such an experience, and what results they encountered.:(

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Originally Posted by desertpirate

I'm going to venture a guess that I'm not the only person on here who has let a snake swim in an aquarium... the only person brave enough to admit it? Apparently. Now that people know what happens when they're honest we'll never get to see how many others have had such an experience, and what results they encountered.:(

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Oh my, people disagreeing with you is such a horrible experience?


Last I knew, everyone here spoke their mind, and are allowed to do so as long as it isn't offensive and rated PG.

Questioning someone's actions when there is an animal involved is almost always for the betterment and education of others. To make sure that there are always actions providing optimum husbandry for our animals, and also to question those practices that seem harmful or dangerous.

You KNEW that people were going to question you about the practice of letting your BP swim in a fish tank, lets try to not come off as surprised and offended.

I wouldn't drink fish/shrimp/other water, and I wouldn't expect my snakes to swim around it either. I know just enough about fish tanks to know that whats floating around in the tank isn't magically purified by your shrimp.

Shrimp can help with larger particals, but as usual, frequent water changes, scrubbers and all sorts of doo dads do the work because frankly, it's nasty in there.


The only reason I would not allow my BP to swim in a fish tank is because I fear any number of floating bacteria and germs in the water could very easily take up rooming underneath the scale of my snake. The skin of a ball python is sensitive between the scales and often this is where scale rot begins. Scale rot is a fungus or bacteria, or sometimes both.

Do I personally know everything that's running around in a fish tank to know with complete certainty that he is adapated to swimming around in that water without fear of infection? No, I don't, and so I would rather soak my snake in his tub with clean water.

I've seen snakes attempt to kill themselves by launching off of a table, or push and nudge on a screen top over and over again, like they have never nudged that spot before. They aren't the brightest creatures and I wouldn't put it past them to not find the obviously OPEN aquarium lid to get out, and tire and drown from constant swimming.

As it is, you have complete control over this snake. It was my long way of saying your going to do what you want, I just hope your always putting the best of intentions and common sense into everything you do with this snake.

Wow....I don't have internet at home right now, so it's been a while since I posted this since I have been on. This has turned out more interesting than I had thought.

I guess where I was thinking that a snake may drown while constricting is b/c they are so concentrated on it. To bring it back up, snakes will get burned by staying on a heat source, I just didn't know if they were under water while constricting, if there could be that risk of getting hurt.

She has done it before, but my girl usually makes a very quick kill, so that is what alarmed me this time. She was in there for so long. Thank you to the people that posted the long times that their snakes had been under. I had no idea they could stay submerged that long!!

ok so here is my 2 cents DONT PUT YOUR SNAKE IN THE FISH TANK lol i mean that in the nicest way possible sure some snakes enjoy swimming my uncle had a burm that spent most of its time in a little kiddie pool but the water was cleaned out every day. dude its fine to let you snakes swim but make sure the water is clean and make sure they can easily get out of the water =]