submerging question

[audres]

I've had my ball for 2 1/2 years now and he has always hated water, now I'm finding him submerged in it regularly. A few things have changed to maybe account for this 1) I moved into a new house that is still undergoing remodeling a little 2) the first room I put him in was getting so hot that he was submerging is entire head under water and his underbelly was pink.

I moved him down to where it's much cooler and sure enough this morning he was curled up in his water dish?!? This is very uncharacteristic for my snake.

He's not showing any usual signs of shedding either.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I'm starting to get worried.

Thanks!

[h00blah]

check him for mites THUROUGHLY
how + where are u measuring ur temps and humidity? it could be hotter than you think
also, if the belly is pink, it normally means ur BP is in shed. it could be trying to get more humidity.

wut are ur temps reading?

[audres]

I've been reading a lot since posting this and I certainly will check for mites when I get home.

As for the temp, I have a temp sticker on the bottom of the face glass on the hot side and one on the cool side. Is that a good place to have them? This morning the temp wasn't even 80 on the cool side, didn't notice the one on the warm side since that is where the water dish is and all I saw was him stuffed into it. This weekend the temp was off the chart so I'm guessing it was close to 100. That is why I moved him downstairs, now it's been more around 80. Also, the humidity read close to 60% this morning.

He doesn't appear to be in a shed process, eyes haven't turned and even though his belly was pink this weekend, I really think it was due to heat. He had his entire head under water and it was very hot up there. It's entirely possible his habits are changing but he has traditionally hated the water a great deal, even during a bad shed. That's why I'm concerned this is something else.

thanks again.

[cinderbird]

I've been reading a lot since posting this and I certainly will check for mites when I get home.

As for the temp, I have a temp sticker on the bottom of the face glass on the hot side and one on the cool side. Is that a good place to have them? This morning the temp wasn't even 80 on the cool side, didn't notice the one on the warm side since that is where the water dish is and all I saw was him stuffed into it. This weekend the temp was off the chart so I'm guessing it was close to 100. That is why I moved him downstairs, now it's been more around 80. Also, the humidity read close to 60% this morning.

He doesn't appear to be in a shed process, eyes haven't turned and even though his belly was pink this weekend, I really think it was due to heat. He had his entire head under water and it was very hot up there. It's entirely possible his habits are changing but he has traditionally hated the water a great deal, even during a bad shed. That's why I'm concerned this is something else.

thanks again.

Those sticker thermometers are made to measure water temperature, NOT air temperature. As soon as you can, i suggest getting a digital thermometer with a probe. The Accurite is a GREAT thermometer. You can get it at Lowes or Home Depot or Walmart for less than 15 bucks. It also measures Humidity.

As for the soaking: I've seen snakes in their bowls for the following reasons:

- mite infestation
- the temperatures are WAY too hot in their enclosure and the water bowl is the only cool place
- their hides are too big and the water bowl makes them feel secure because they can cram (part) of themselves in it.

A pink belly could mean a shed, or it could be the start of scale rot. Check your humidity (with a reliable, digital hydrometer), check your cage conditions. What substrate do you use? It could be holding enough water to cause scale/belly rot. I'd suggest switching him to paper towels until he either sheds or something else happens with his belly. Paper towel is easy to clean and monitor conditions.

[audres]

dear god scale rot? I'm using aspen as a bedding and I do notice the lower half of it stays wet while the top seems to be dry. I can mix it regularly to prevent that. I like the aspen as he tends to make various tunnels throughout his cage, which makes me think he likes the aspen too.

I will look into that thermometer you mentioned, I didn't realize these sticker ones were only for water. It's so hard to find people who know anything about snakes. Today is my first try at a forum, I hope it's a better source of information than some pet stores I've gone to.

Thanks for your reply.

[Nae]

Wet bedding can be a major cause of scale rot.

Reading your post I was initially thinking that humidity may be a problem because renovations can wreak havoc on indoor air...dust & whatnot. How are you measuring humidity?

Welcome to the forums

[audres]

Thanks for the welcome.

I'm measuring humidity with one of those little round simple gauges. It seems to work, at least it changes accordingly. Humidity is the one thing I have struggled with these last 2 1/2 years. I've tried automatic misters, all they do is dribble water in the cage, putting in lots of water dishes and covering the top, and misting the cage daily. None of these seem to keep the humidity up. So far my little guy is a trooper, he's just not acting normal right now.

I looked him over for mites last night and there were none but now it seems he actually might be starting his shedding process. Who knows, maybe his air sucks right now and the bottom of his dish is the best place. I'll have to figure out a better cage situation for him.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[nixer]

Thanks for the welcome.

I'm measuring humidity with one of those little round simple gauges. It seems to work, at least it changes accordingly. Humidity is the one thing I have struggled with these last 2 1/2 years. I've tried automatic misters, all they do is dribble water in the cage, putting in lots of water dishes and covering the top, and misting the cage daily. None of these seem to keep the humidity up. So far my little guy is a trooper, he's just not acting normal right now.



I looked him over for mites last night and there were none but now it seems he actually might be starting his shedding process. Who knows, maybe his air sucks right now and the bottom of his dish is the best place. I'll have to figure out a better cage situation for him.

Thanks for your thoughts.

those round analog zoomed humidity gauges are never accurate

[Nae]

those round analog zoomed humidity gauges are never accurate

Invest in an Accurite for sure. Under $15 and very accurate. I tested an analog gauge against it just for kicks and it read up to 20% less humidity than the Accurite.

[cinderbird]

dear god scale rot? I'm using aspen as a bedding and I do notice the lower half of it stays wet while the top seems to be dry. I can mix it regularly to prevent that. I like the aspen as he tends to make various tunnels throughout his cage, which makes me think he likes the aspen too.

I will look into that thermometer you mentioned, I didn't realize these sticker ones were only for water. It's so hard to find people who know anything about snakes. Today is my first try at a forum, I hope it's a better source of information than some pet stores I've gone to.

Thanks for your reply.

Oh welcome to the forums! I dont think i ever look at anyones post count besides my own lol. This forum is a GREAT place for info. You can look at all the stickied threads all around the forum for some more info

I'd be pretty weary if part of the aspen is always wet. Aspen is very susceptible to mold from what i understand. (i use news paper for my snakes, but i don't really have humidity issues where I'm at).

This thermometer from Accurite, http://www.petsr4u.com/prodimages/ac...URITE00891.gif , is affordable and reliable. You can find it at lowes, home depot or walmart for less than 15 bucks AND it has a built in hydrometer. I've got quite a few but will be ditching them in favor of an infrared temp gun because with racks i dont want 30 thermometers lol.