bathing my bp

soo i have heard a few people say that it is good for a bp to just go in the bath tub with a little warm water in it.... i am tempted to do this with my bp but i just dont want him to go on the cold side of the tub. i am super parinoid of him getting sick. i try to do everything perfect for him so that he can be the happiest bp ever. i just think he is the greatest thing ever. anyone have an answer... should i put him in the tub from time to time... and if so should i make sure that there is no left over soap from previous showers... or do u put him in a rubbermaid container....

Unless they crack off a particularly bad poop, or have a really bad stuck shed, there is no real reason to give your BP a bath....and some would argue against them EVER needing a bath. Sooooo, unless your BP is covered in mites, covered in poop, or had a really bad shed, you should save the baths for you.

BTW, Welcome to BP.net!!!

:welcome:

I let mine swim in the tub for exercise, always tepid water.

he does have a bit of stuck shed and i tried the pillow case thing and put him in it but the shed didnt come off. he has one remaining eye cap that needs to come off... should i just keep trying the pillow case thing or try a bath

if the shed is concerning like i said before in your other thread, moist pillow case trick opr humid hide are MUCH better options as there is little to no risk for your BP.

some BPs panick in water thrash and can hurt them selves or you. also you dont want warm w
water. something about 80-85 degrees will do "tepid" water as its referred to. and nothing more then about half the height of your BP

the base purpose is to hydrate the retained shed and allow the snake to remove it him self. all three of the option i have listed are usable. some better then others in some opinions.

Check this out if you haven't seen it:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=84744

alright. i did the pillow case thing today and he was movin around in there and rubbin all over the place but nothin came off.. should i try again tomorrow? again i appreciate all the help!!!!

I would try the pillow case again...bathing them kills off natural oils in the skin that they need to get rid of the old shed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mattramsfan

alright. i did the pillow case thing today and he was movin around in there and rubbin all over the place but nothin came off.. should i try again tomorrow? again i appreciate all the help!!!!

---

yes, some times it takes 2 or 3 tries but he will get it him self. they always do. the onyl time the do not is if your husbandry is rather poor.

thank you for putting that previous chat up. i have heard to just put them in a container and leave for a while.. but after reading that, there is no way in hell i am gonna do that to mine.

There is nothing wrong with a tub bath for exercise/stuck shed, so long as you monitor everything and NEVER leave your snake unattended.

im pretty sure that his tank stats are perfect or near perfect... 80 degrees in ambient air, 90-95 in his hot spot. he has a hot spot hide and a humid hide. and his humidity hovers around 45 to 50% and about 65 to 70% when he is shedding.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by llovelace

There is nothing wrong with a tub bath for exercise so long as you monitor everything and NEVER leave your snake unattended.

---

Lisa, please don't take this as a knock on your method, but I think mine get plenty of exercise just running through my hands and fingers. Again, if letting them swim works for you, I think that's cool as a jewel, I just don't know if the benefits out weigh the potential for problems in my case.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mattramsfan

im pretty sure that his tank stats are perfect or near perfect... 80 degrees in ambient air, 90-95 in his hot spot. he has a hot spot hide and a humid hide. and his humidity hovers around 45 to 50% and about 65 to 70% when he is shedding.

---

sounds like your doing ok. some times bad sheds just happen because the snake does not get it "peeling" correctly to start.

I would keep trying the pillowcase method.
I have heard too many stories of ball pythons drowning in "baths". ): It can be done safely, yes, but I am not willing to risk it and I am not going to suggest you use that method.

ok well that is a little better and reassuring for me. i always think i am doin something wrong. lol. but i guess he is good. it is a little hard right now to keep the ambient air at 80 degrees because it is winter but i am pretty sure a few degrees under in the ambient air would not cause him to have a bad shed. cause everything else is perfect.

ya. after seeing the posts that was given to me i am never gonna just put him in water. i would die if my bp did.

No worries Slim, I feel (and I'm only speaking for myself) that my snakes should get exercise, so they swim 1-2 times a week unless going into shed.

If you need to bathe him at all, use tepid water in a small rubbermaid container with a lid and no holes. The humidity will help with the shed and the water shouldn't be deep enough for them to swim in. I usually put a warm damp washcloth in with them so they don't slide constantly.

I have to bathe my sand boa every month because he just does not shed properly. Even with the humid hide.

That's cool Lisa, about a million years ago, I worked at a racing grayhound kennel, and we used to exercise the pups by letting them swim....lot's easier on their joints.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by llovelace

No worries Slim, I feel (and I'm only speaking for myself) that my snakes should get exercise, so they swim 1-2 times a week unless going into shed.

---

I believe I have read somewhere that too much soaking/bathing can be bad for a BP and dehydrate them and remove the natural oils from their skin.

Why can't you just let them slither on the floor instead of be freaked out in a bathtub?

thanks all for the valuable information!!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mattramsfan

thank you for putting that previous chat up. i have heard to just put them in a container and leave for a while.. but after reading that, there is no way in hell i am gonna do that to mine.

---

Not to get off topic but another person used pam for mites on his snake and put him directly into a tuperware container, poor snake/poor guy, it didn't make it. Just use common sense in whatever you do.

ya i dont think i am gonna go rubbing crisco on my snake any time soon. that is just common sense.... why would some one do that to their snake???

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mattramsfan

ya i dont think i am gonna go rubbing crisco on my snake any time soon. that is just common sense.... why would some one do that to their snake???

---

I think she meant provent a mite, lol. I have had to use a little bit of oil to get duct tape off a snake once :/ That was a pain.

oooo. hahah. dang i feel dumb. well i have heard of mite off.... and i did use that on my snake to get some mites off of him... but it worked perfectly

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaorte

I think she meant provent a mite, lol. I have had to use a little bit of oil to get duct tape off a snake once :/ That was a pain.

---

how did it get duct tape on it? lol thats the weirdest thing ive heard all day :P

i have read that in a bunch of places. that people put duck tape on their snakes to help shed.... i have never and will never do that.... tape on a snake just doesnt sound like a good idea.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaorte

I believe I have read somewhere that too much soaking/bathing can be bad for a BP and dehydrate them and remove the natural oils from their skin.

Why can't you just let them slither on the floor instead of be freaked out in a bathtub?

---

My snakes are not freaked out in the tub as you can see from these photos, you will also note the amount of water in the tub (minimal). These were from their last exercise, Neemo decided to get alittle frisky if you know what I mean.

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...s/100_1814.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...s/100_1816.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...s/100_1821.jpg

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...es/Chiilin.jpg

ooooo i like those. they are super pretty. O and might i add... my bp was born in october 08. soo he is still a little guy

Then yes he'll probably freak alittle in the water, I have a late '08 fella also, he's always in his water bowl thinks it's the bathroom :), he gets his exercise on the pool table for now.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JeffJ

how did it get duct tape on it? lol thats the weirdest thing ive heard all day :P

---

Oh man, let me tell you this story. It was the worst night in history.

So, about a month after I got her, she decided that it was "Time to find a way out of here" day. I had an accurite taped onto this foam background that came with the exoterra tank I got. It was cool and 3D and stuff, but I need somewhere to hand this gosh darn Accurite. I knew I shouldn't have done the duct tape, but I did it anyway. Mind you, everything was fine for a month. She decided that there MUST be a trap door behind this mystical device and pushes herself behind it, sticking herself to the duct tape that was holding it on.

Well that was just lovely. I got a tiny bit of oil and rubbed it around the tape that was stuck to her to try and weakening the adhesive bond it had with her scales. This took me a good 30 minutes of her thrashing and me rubbing her down with oil (okay guys, you can put this in completely out of context :/ I always set myself up for it!)

Okay, so I got the tape off *phew*. I go back to my homework and then check on the snake once more before I go to sleep. This is what just blows my mind. She shoved her head into the 1/4" gap at the bottom of the foam background (this is to hide wiring). and started to wedge herself underneath and up the back of the background. Ofcoarse her but is too fat and she could only fit about 1/3 of her body up there (I was amazed she could even get that much of herself jammed into a 1/4" gap between glass and foam).

I couldn't just pull her out, and I couldn't remove the background without squashing her..so I had to chop up the background and remove it in pieces in order to get her out... Worst night of my life!!

haha. thats cool. i wanna get another one but there is no place to put it. they are soo much fun!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mattramsfan

haha. thats cool. i wanna get another one but there is no place to put it. they are soo much fun!!!

---

There is always room for more SNAKE TUBS!!

ya even though the tubs are better and much easier for humidity i do like viewing cages. even though in my view tank there are plenty of hides and fake plants to make him feel secure. its just my personal opinion

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaorte

Oh man, let me tell you this story. It was the worst night in history.

So, about a month after I got her, she decided that it was "Time to find a way out of here" day. I had an accurite taped onto this foam background that came with the exoterra tank I got. It was cool and 3D and stuff, but I need somewhere to hand this gosh darn Accurite. I knew I shouldn't have done the duct tape, but I did it anyway. Mind you, everything was fine for a month. She decided that there MUST be a trap door behind this mystical device and pushes herself behind it, sticking herself to the duct tape that was holding it on.

Well that was just lovely. I got a tiny bit of oil and rubbed it around the tape that was stuck to her to try and weakening the adhesive bond it had with her scales. This took me a good 30 minutes of her thrashing and me rubbing her down with oil (okay guys, you can put this in completely out of context :/ I always set myself up for it!)

Okay, so I got the tape off *phew*. I go back to my homework and then check on the snake once more before I go to sleep. This is what just blows my mind. She shoved her head into the 1/4" gap at the bottom of the foam background (this is to hide wiring). and started to wedge herself underneath and up the back of the background. Ofcoarse her but is too fat and she could only fit about 1/3 of her body up there (I was amazed she could even get that much of herself jammed into a 1/4" gap between glass and foam).

I couldn't just pull her out, and I couldn't remove the background without squashing her..so I had to chop up the background and remove it in pieces in order to get her out... Worst night of my life!!

---

thats like me, this waterfall i have my lil guy likes to wedge in behind it but he only gets half way and i have to take my top off (mangle the tinfoil half the time) then unplug everything then i have the slowly jimmy things out of place as i have them secured, and hope i dont hurt him. im going to Velcro the damn thing to the glass soon so he cant jimmy in between it and the glass.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mattramsfan

ya even though the tubs are better and much easier for humidity i do like viewing cages. even though in my view tank there are plenty of hides and fake plants to make him feel secure. its just my personal opinion

---

Maybe one day you will change your mind :3 I had the same opinion a few months back but realized the tubs were better for my snakes (especially if you have humidity problems).

Just let me share with my own experience... I have read somewhere that bath is good for BP. It's some kind of exercise and it's good digesting... So I tried. I just sank my hands with her into water. She was scared and tried to escape from water anyway it was possible. My result? Never again bath for her...

Here is my bath story from when I first got snakes:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=80154