No baths!!!

Just thought I'd share my major stupidity... maybe some newbie will see this and learn from it. Maybe.

So, I'm new to this snake thing right (only had our bps for 2 months). So, we had trouble a while back with humidity and I saw this youtube video of this kid giving his snake a bath in the bathtub while he sprayed down the tank to up the humidity. So, I thought, hmm... let me do that...

Okay, I was snakophobic before we had the snakes and I'm very new to handling snakes. The hubby was out playing basketball but I had my 2 snake-expert sons (ages 5 and 7) with me, so I figured, how hard can this be? My 7 year old told me not to do it because snakes don't want to have baths... and, of course, I didn't listen... So, I put some warm water in the bathtub (about 2 inches), put the climbing tree in the middle for the snake to perch on just like in the video, dropped the snake on it and ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE!!! She spazzed out like crazy! She tried her hardest to get out of the tub and everytime she goes on the side she slips down bringing shampoo bottles, etc... down on top of her! Oh, it was bad. I freaked out!!! She managed to give a big heave-ho and fell off the side of the tub... I couldn't do anything, I was paralyzed with fright... My 7-year-old remained calm - amazing kid - grabbed the snake before it could hide anywhere, my 5-year-old grabbed her feeding tank and they managed to contain the snake. They put her back in the tank, but in the process she sank part of her tail in the waterbowl which got her psychotic again and she tried to jump out of her tank (we have front-doors on the tank), my son grabbed her neck to put her back in and she struck - but my son was quick with the front door and she hit the glass instead. I thought for sure my son was going to get phobic, but, he took it all in stride and even made me hot chocolate to make me feel better. He did give me a big, "I TOLD YOU THEY DON'T LIKE BATHS!"...

So yeah... no baths in the bathtub...

Is it bad that I fell over laughing? Oh boy.

Guess your little girl didn't like taking baths. Different strokes for different...snakes. ^_^

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Originally Posted by Melicious

Is it bad that I fell over laughing?

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Hope not, because I did the same thing :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Poor snakie....:rolleyes:

sorry, I did too. But I can see the look on kids face, I bet he loved it!

OMG that is so funny. Thanks for sharing.

I do think the OP has a bit of a sense of humor and is happy we are laughing.

Kudos to the kids for handling the chaos. I'm wondering what the husband outside playing basketball did after hearing the racket inside.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Poor little stressed out snake....but that is such a funny story. I could just picture my nephew standing there and his "all knowing face" shaking his head.

LOL!!!

WARM water?:O I'm surprised you didn't boil the thing.
Lesson learned; very good thing.
Great reaction from the kids:gj:

I'm sorry that happened like that, hopefully everyone is okay (especially you and the snakey!)

The water might have been too warm - remember if it is warm to you since we are 98.6 degrees it is warmer than that.

I tried to give Stan a bath once... with very close to the same results...

Like said above. You were probably cooking the poor thing. Shoot for 85 to 86 degree water. Any warmer than that and your gonna be asking for a fight!

Hope this helps.

Now that WAS funny!

For what it's worth, I don't ever bathe my snakes.

I was wondering the same thing. So how long do you wait to give them a bath. I've had her only a month. She still hasn't shed yet. But the last thing i want to do is stress her out.

Thanks
0.1 NBP Sheila

I guess if snakes were meant to take baths god would put tubs and spas in the jungles:rofl:

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Originally Posted by skaplan86

Kudos to the kids for handling the chaos. I'm wondering what the husband outside playing basketball did after hearing the racket inside.

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Hubby came home and gave me a big "talking to" about how I shouldn't be playing with the snakes like they're Barbie dolls and to stop believing anything I see on YouTube. It's his snake. I just took over her care because I can't help it - I fell in love with these crawlies! But, I made up for it now after all the time and effort I spent fixing the humidity issue. She's happy again. And the hubby has been a good sport through it all.

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Originally Posted by lenastorms

Hope not, because I did the same thing :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Poor snakie....:rolleyes:

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LMAO that was funny. I give mine baths too but I make sure the water is cool to the touch about 75-80 degrees. Mine takes it with stride he just chills in there for a while and then climbs out to me.

LOL oh man. Your kids sound adorable :D

[QUOTE=SecurityStacey;929924] remember if it is warm to you since we are 98.6 degrees it is warmer than that.
[QUOTE]

And actually, just because our internal body temp is 98.6, our epidermus isn't that temperature LOL don't you wonder why on days that are up there in the mid 90s still feel really hot? Even though technically it's cooler than ourselves. Our skins always cooler. And especially our fingers since they're so small. I know mine are freezing off right now >.<

But anyways! I soak my adult BP in a sterilite tub with lukewarm water. No warmer! He actually seems to enjoy it because often times I don't even put the top on it, I just sit next to him and he chillax's hehe

I give my snake a bath and he swims around allitle but eventually calm down. Its good to give baths it helps with shedding,digestion. going to the bathroom. Its nice to give them a bath.

Pat

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Originally Posted by Lateralus_Love

LOL oh man. Your kids sound adorable :D

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Mom-brag alert!

They are adorable. And they take great care of these snakes. The spider is theirs, so they do everything for it including poop pick-up. They even clean out the ASF tub! Here are some pics...
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...tess07/r-1.jpg
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...natess07/g.jpg

I definitely did a warm bath like I would take for myself... which is probably why she went spazztic!!!

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Originally Posted by Pandora

WARM water?:O I'm surprised you didn't boil the thing.
Lesson learned; very good thing.
Great reaction from the kids:gj:

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Do you use cold water?

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Do you use cold water?

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No, I measure mine to be 85-90 tops, which does not feel warm to me at all; but I'm not a Ball Python

luke warm should be warm to you, not nearly as warm as youd feel good enough to shower in, but still there. Not that you should bathe ball pythons anyways.

Oh wow-- great story!! Great kids- such cute pictures of them!!

I never bathe any of my snakes, just by the way ;)

It is also good to not bathe them before a shed and it will not help them digest!! Might help them regurg after a meal though!!

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Originally Posted by anatess

The spider is theirs, so they do everything for it including poop pick-up.

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:O they have their own spider. Oh man, can I be one of your kids please? :bow:

I good soak in 80 degree water does however help them with an RI to help get rid of the mucus. Don't ask me how, I pulled it out of a vet book.

Funny, this very topic came up in another forum I just posted in. Anyways, yeah, different strokes for different snakes. Here's how it is in our household;

Mr. Biggles started the whole thing (our 6.5 ft. BCI) when we got him a larger water bowl for his tank. He loved it. Soooo, one day we were taking Gopher out of his cage for a slither around the house and I guess he saw Mr Biggles all laid back soaking in his water bowl so he figured "Eh, what the hey..." so within a day or two he started doing it also. Humphrey, our "gifted child" (regular BP) one day was out cruising and I guess he happened to take note in that little chick-pea sized brain of his that both Biggles and Gopher were soaking and decided to also join the Miami Beach Club, though he isn't in it nearly as much as the other two. The funny thing is we had Gopher and Humphrey for quite a while before Mr Biggles came on board and Gopher nor Humphrey ever soaked in the water bowl until after Biggles arrived and started doing it. Okay, maybe it isn't that funny.

Anyhoo, our BCI and BCC both love the water, particularly the bigger Colombian. We run the water not at warm, but I would say 'tepid'. We periodicaly add warmer water slowly over time just so he doesn't chill down too much. We also remove all the shampoo bottles (all 6 of them - must be a girlie thing to have half a dozen different shampoos and conditioners I guess) and I rinse the tub well too before introducing any of them into it. We check constantly while any of them are in there and leave the door open and light on. The Colombian will spend anywheres from a half hour to an hour or two just laying there with his head propped up against the side of the tub. He won't budge even when we are adding water. Humphrey is at the other end of the spectrum and after a little squirming around a bit settles in and stays with his little head just barely out of the water and is probably dreaming that he is massive 26 foot, 250 pound anaconda in the jungles of South America waiting for a young croc to swim by. But alas, after about a half hour or so I pick him up with one hand and it's back to reality.

Can you tell I'm just killing time? But it's all true though, I swear.

Jeff

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Originally Posted by mrmertz

Funny, this very topic came up in another forum I just posted in. Anyways, yeah, different strokes for different snakes. Here's how it is in our household;

Mr. Biggles started the whole thing (our 6.5 ft. BCI) when we got him a larger water bowl for his tank. He loved it. Soooo, one day we were taking Gopher out of his cage for a slither around the house and I guess he saw Mr Biggles all laid back soaking in his water bowl so he figured "Eh, what the hey..." so within a day or two he started doing it also. Humphrey, our "gifted child" (regular BP) one day was out cruising and I guess he happened to take note in that little chick-pea sized brain of his that both Biggles and Gopher were soaking and decided to also join the Miami Beach Club, though he isn't in it nearly as much as the other two. The funny thing is we had Gopher and Humphrey for quite a while before Mr Biggles came on board and Gopher nor Humphrey ever soaked in the water bowl until after Biggles arrived and started doing it. Okay, maybe it isn't that funny.

Anyhoo, our BCI and BCC both love the water, particularly the bigger Colombian. We run the water not at warm, but I would say 'tepid'. We periodicaly add warmer water slowly over time just so he doesn't chill down too much. We also remove all the shampoo bottles (all 6 of them - must be a girlie thing to have half a dozen different shampoos and conditioners I guess) and I rinse the tub well too before introducing any of them into it. We check constantly while any of them are in there and leave the door open and light on. The Colombian will spend anywheres from a half hour to an hour or two just laying there with his head propped up against the side of the tub. He won't budge even when we are adding water. Humphrey is at the other end of the spectrum and after a little squirming around a bit settles in and stays with his little head just barely out of the water and is probably dreaming that he is massive 26 foot, 250 pound anaconda in the jungles of South America waiting for a young croc to swim by. But alas, after about a half hour or so I pick him up with one hand and it's back to reality.

Can you tell I'm just killing time? But it's all true though, I swear.

Jeff

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LOLOL:banana:

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Not that you should bathe ball pythons anyways.

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It's also not as though you should not - to each and their animals their own.

I rub my girl down with a warm, damp towel sometimes, rather than soak her in a tub. For whatever reason she insists on making a mess inside her hide, so she sometimes picks up some of the smell and has to be cleaned.

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Originally Posted by simplechamp

I rub my girl down with a warm, damp towel sometimes, rather than soak her in a tub. For whatever reason she insists on making a mess inside her hide, so she sometimes picks up some of the smell and has to be cleaned.

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Simplechamp, we must be married to the same woman. Oh, I see, the snake thingy.

Nevermind.

Yikes. Baths are sometimes necessary; in cases of retained shed.. In cases of testing for mites.. I have had to bathe some of mine after they let-out a particularly nasty defecation, and rolled around in it!
The right way to do it, is to use a Rubbermaid, or similar, tub with a lid. The same size tub that the snake would live in, or smaller, but of course not TOO small so that the snake can't move. You put enough water in so that the snake won't drown, but that its backbone will be submerged. Measure the temperature of the water with a temperature gun; 80 degrees is as hot as you want to go, and I don't use water below 75 degrees. Secure the lid and let the snake slither around in there.. no more than 5 minutes because the water will cool fast.

my 08 ball python doesnt mind taking baths. i always give him one before hes gonna shed. i think he likes it. goes under the water and everything.

whenever Poopsie Needs Water and hydration She loves baths and stays under water 4 ever.!! GREAT STORY

Mine only get anything resembling a bath if they are filthy(poop-souped their tub) or have just laid eggs and I need to get the smell off. I just use a little Dawn dish soap, wash them down and rinse. Bag in the clean tub they go. Anything more and they are letting me know they are stressed out.

I have given my snake a few baths before, when she is close to shedding (tends to help quite a bit). She hates them and she will thrash around if I don't have my hand on her. If she's got something supporting her, like my hand, she tends to calm down. I wouldn't leave her alone in the tub for a second.

I'm sure it's been said, but the water shouldn't be warm to you. If we are at 98 or so degrees, then for the water to be warm to the touch it needs to be warmer than that. 100 degrees is too hot for a ball. If the water is the proper temp, the snake shouldn't flash and flail around.

The first bath I gave my girl she did that, then I read something about the temp of the water, and the next one I gave her went much smoother. Just taking a damp towel and rubbing them down, or letting them slither through it, should be good for cleaning them, and if you really want to let them soak, put them in a tub with some very shallow water (less water than they are thick...so they don't have to swim), put a lid on and put it on the warm side of their tank to keep the water warm. When I did this I put a small plastic thing in there for the little guy to get on if he didn't want to be in the water...he still got the effects from the humidity. ^_^

Ttiwwov

Yeah I have used the tub a few times after some bad sheds. The balls that I have done it with didnt seem to enjoy it but they didnt spaz out like urs. lol. My blood on the other hand couldnt be happier. He just loves the water. He never soaks in his bowl but theres just something about that warm water.

Little tip for ya from someone else who notices a bit of BP aquaphobia (is that a word?) Don't soak them directly in water. Unless you suspect mites, then you need to see them floating. If you have shed problems, notice some dehydration, or suspect constipation, you can soak to help the snake allieviate any of these symptoms. Best way to soak is not directly in water most times, though. What I do is run the water to the correct temps (as stated by many others, 75-85*F) and then wet a few large towels. Put enough of the towels down in the bottom of a 10G or better plastic container (38L for our metric friends), then put in the snake, and gently cover it with a single other towel and let it crawl around under that towel for about 15 minutes.

One last tip, don't leave the top towel folded, the folded towel concentrates too much weight over the snake and it may not slither around due to that.

Just wanted to share what helps me. Enjoy your day, everyone!

Bloodsong

LOL, funny story. I am glad that everything turned out ok. Years ago, I did the exact same thing with my first ball python. He freaked out just as you described. Sounds like you have some pretty courageous kids.

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Originally Posted by mrmertz

simplechamp, we must be married to the same woman. Oh, i see, the snake thingy.

Nevermind.

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lololololol

i had a mite problem awhile back and i bathed all my snakes in the tub they didnt like it at first but everytime they got a little more used to it and eventually they would just lay in there makin their bodies float


great story by the way!!

lol i was watching some videos on youtube from "muffdaddy2" and he said that Ball Pythons like baths... and it helps moisten their skin so I tried it... i would have felt really bad with cold water so i used warm water and got sorta the same reaction but my snake is about 19 inches long so he didn't cause any problems... as soon as i cooled down the water he was fine and "swam" around my sink!

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Originally Posted by PythonKaa

lol i was watching some videos on youtube from "muffdaddy2" and he said that Ball Pythons like baths... and it helps moisten their skin so I tried it... i would have felt really bad with cold water so i used warm water and got sorta the same reaction but my snake is about 19 inches long so he didn't cause any problems... as soon as i cooled down the water he was fine and "swam" around my sink!

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Omigosh, MUFFDADDY! He was the very first video I saw of ball python husbandry. And that was before I joined this forum. I didn't know how loco that guy is until I started learning stuff from here! Now, I don't watch his videos anymore because I can't trust what he says. It might just be me, but I think he gives wrong information a lot of times. And I really didn't care for that rat video he made. I thought it was disrespectful to the rat.

By the way, I've bathed the same snake once since that incident because of left-over shed. I followed the same technique in the sticky where you put a few inches of TEPID water in a tupperware, add a hand towel, put the snake in, and put the lid on. I also got this thing called Shed-Ease by Zilla. I add it to the water. I don't know if it truly works, but it seems to help in my case - does anybody else have experience with Shed-Ease they like to share?

Anyway, that same crazy snake doesn't mind the tupperware bath at all. Yeah, I've come a looooonnnnggg way since then. Learned a LOT of stuff from here. And I will always be grateful for this forum! You guys ROCK!