BP bath

[Dboknight]

I was wondering if I could bathe my ball python.. Or giving it a general soak not really shampooing or putting soap in there.. Just looking for hints and opinions thanks

[JLC]

If you feel like you have a legitimate reason to wash the snake, then check these things:

---Make sure the sink/tub/basin that you use is clean and free of chemical residue such as left-over soap or cleaners.
---Check water temps BEFORE getting the snake near the water. You want it to be room temperature or just a tiny bit warmer...so that when you touch the inside of your wrist to the water, it should feel neither hot nor cold. What might feel pleasantly "warm" to your hands could feel uncomfortably hot to a cold-blooded snake.

Legitimate reasons for bathing a ball python:

---They crawled through their poop and got it smeared all over them.
---They coiled around a f/t rat and made it explode rat guts and blood all over them. (Had it happen...NOT a pretty picture!)
---They failed to shed completely and have multiple patches of stuck shed that need a little help to loosen up.

There really isn't any reason to bath a ball python on any kind of regular or routine basis, and many will find it to be a stressful event.

[FireStorm]

JLC gave you some very good pointers. They only thing I would add is make sure the water is shallow, especially if you are not going to be watching the entire time. If I need to soak a snake, I go for water depth no more than 1/2 the thickness of the snake. I want to make sure it doesn't have to swim to keep its head above water.

[Pythonfriend]

water temperature is key. BPs can hold their breath under water, they can dive, and believe it or not, they are excellent swimmers. they swim much faster than they can move on land. but the right temperature for them will feel rather cold to you, and when the water is too warm they panic. if you have one of these infrared temp guns, just measure the water bowl and aim for that temperature, or maybe a little bit warmer.

i agree with JLC but i disagree with FireStorm. africa import hatchlings get stored in water-filled tubs, often for days, before they get shipped, and that water is deep. its not unlikely that your ghana ball, as a hatchling, has been swimming for 4 days before you got it. what causes people to panic is that when they did their breathing, they may submerge themselves and may stay at the bottom for periods of time that seem utterly impossible for a human.

another legitimate reason you hopefully never come across: to drown mites. and yes, make sure the water is clean and pure.

does anyone have the picture of the BP hiding in a fish bowl? ive seen it once, and whenever i see a thread like this i regret not saving it. its a BP that escaped, hiding submerged at the bottom of a fish bowl, watching a goldfish from below.

[Slim]

africa import hatchlings get stored in water-filled tubs, often for days, before they get shipped, and that water is deep. its not unlikely that your ghana ball, as a hatchling, has been swimming for 4 days before you got it.

Have any pictures of this?

[CryHavoc17]

Also a temp gun is completely useless for measuring water temperature

Some snakes enjoy a good soak and swim session, some hate it. If your snake enjoys it their is nothing wrong with giving them the opportunity from time to time. Personally my ball pythons hate it, some of my other snakes do enjoy it though and I give them the opportunity occasionally. Is it neccicary? No, unless your having issues with retained shed or mites.

Sent from my SM-G730V using Tapatalk 2

[FireStorm]

My reason for using shallow water is that I know of an instance on another forum where a snake came very close to drowning because it was left unattended to soak in a tub with water deep enough that it had to swim to get its head out of water. The owner left it to soak,and came back to find it mouth open, not moving.

I know BPs can swim, and I know BPs can hold their breath, but I prefer to be on the safe side. On the rare occasions that I soak a snake I put it in a tub with shallow water and a lid and leave it for 20 min. If you are sitting there watching, fine, use deeper water (although I don't know why you would need deep water). But I will not take a chance with my animals.

[Pythonfriend]

yes, well, better safe than sorry, i wouldnt leave them in water unattended, you should watch over it. most bathtubs have an angle, so you can fill it to a level that the BP can swim on one side, and relax in shallow water on the other side. i never said it should be done unsupervised.

if you check water with a temp gun, the readings might be off, but the temp gun measures the amount of incoming infrared radiation. and water will give off infrared radiation depending on temperature just like any solid. so when two buckets of water give the same reading with a temp gun, they will have the same temperature. im not sure, maybe the temp gun will give you accurate water temperature, but if it doesnt and there is a difference between measured and actual temperature, that difference will be the same for any water surface you measure. i never tried it, i have to give it a try (now where do i have an oldschool regular thermometer for reference?), but i guess it will do just fine when measuring water temperature.

character also plays a role, some love it some hate it. clearly there is no reason to give these that hate it an opportunity to bathe.

which reminds me of something..... CATS!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctJJrBw7e-c i couldnt resist (a more serious feline side-note: some cat breeds, especially sphinx or hairless varieties, really benefit from regular baths, and somehow cats of these breeds seem to generally love it, like the sphinx at 0:30. so i think its genetic.)

[NH93]

I was wondering if I could bathe my ball python.. Or giving it a general soak not really shampooing or putting soap in there.. Just looking for hints and opinions thanks

There's some competing ideas and opinions here!
DEFINITELY no soap or chemical residue (as already mentioned in a previous reply). If you are just curious to see if your BP is interested in a bath or swimming, I'd first try including a slightly deeper water dish in the vive, and take note of any peek of interest your snake may show. This could mean diddly squat, or it might work. I noticed once that my BP stuck his entire head under the water in his bowl and looked around for a minute. I have yet to give him a bath though, because I do not feel it is necessary.
If you try this and find your snake soaking, that is a whole n'other story. The deep water dish idea is just thought of (and inadvertently tries myself), so now sure if others will agree with this idea or not.

I'd actually want the water to be room temperature or *slightly* cooler, not warmer. Stick your (clean) pinky finger in the BP's water bowl; that's about what temp the bath water should be.

I think it can be stressful for snakes to soak (or take baths), so if you don't think it's necessary, then it probably isn't. However, there is a really interesting video on this forum with a diving ball python, that hopped into someone's fish tank for awhile. They didn't put them in there though, the snake did this all on its own.

You will find some pros and (probably more) cons to soaking, unless - as mentioned - there are mites, stuck shed, or messes. Whatever you decide to do, do it with caution and pay attention to any stress signals from your snake.

[The Serpent Merchant]

yes, well, better safe than sorry, i wouldnt leave them in water unattended, you should watch over it. most bathtubs have an angle, so you can fill it to a level that the BP can swim on one side, and relax in shallow water on the other side. i never said it should be done unsupervised.

if you check water with a temp gun, the readings might be off, but the temp gun measures the amount of incoming infrared radiation. and water will give off infrared radiation depending on temperature just like any solid. so when two buckets of water give the same reading with a temp gun, they will have the same temperature. im not sure, maybe the temp gun will give you accurate water temperature, but if it doesnt and there is a difference between measured and actual temperature, that difference will be the same for any water surface you measure. i never tried it, i have to give it a try (now where do i have an oldschool regular thermometer for reference?), but i guess it will do just fine when measuring water temperature.

character also plays a role, some love it some hate it. clearly there is no reason to give these that hate it an opportunity to bathe.

which reminds me of something..... CATS!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctJJrBw7e-c i couldnt resist (a more serious feline side-note: some cat breeds, especially sphinx or hairless varieties, really benefit from regular baths, and somehow cats of these breeds seem to generally love it, like the sphinx at 0:30. so i think its genetic.)

While it is possible to read water temperatures with a temp gun I really wouldn't recommend it unless you know how to properly use your temp gun and you don't have a cheap one. (change emissivity settings etc) If the temp gun isn't set up properly it will read a much lower temperature when pointed at a reflective surface like polished metal, glass, or liquids. Another possibility is that the temp gun will just read the temperature of the bottom of whatever you are soaking the snake in. This again may be very different from the actual water temperature (usually lower)