Soaking routine

[marckitt]

As most know, I have one male sumatran short-tail. He now is 20 months old, is 4 ft and weights about 3 kg. He is in an 4,3x2,3x2,3 ft enclosure and he has been provided with a water bowl large enough to soak in. His humidity is constant at 70-80%. Ambient is around 80,6 - 82,4 ish F, warm area of 84,2, cool area of 82. He always is in his hide at the warm area. Normally he never leaves his hide. Night temps are 80 warm area and 78 cooler side. As juvi he was often soaking in his tube. In his enclosure I have never seen him soaking. Last week I gave him a bigger hide - in his old one he was really cramped inside. It was 9,8x6,7x2,4. His new hide is 19,7x13x6,3. He has a lot more space inside. One day after providing him the new hide I recognized him coming out immediately after his lights went out and slithering into his water box (a little bit smaller, but higher then the hide). He stayed there about 35 minutes then went back to his hide. He did this for 5 days, soaking, when the lights went out - for about 35 - 90 minutes. Then he stopped doing this, I fed him and since 3 days he hasn´t soaked again. I checked the water every single day with a magnifier for mites - but nothing. I never had ones and hope I never will. His last shed was on march the 15 th and he usually sheds every 2 months, so when he started soaking there were still 4 weeks to go until next shedding time. So I wonder if his behaviour is just normal? I mean with mites he would soak much longer - not only max 90 minutes a day and not always at the same time? As I said before I always check my snakes, the water and their cages for mites with a magnifier and never had them. No new snake was brought in ....... All the other snakes don´t soak or have/had any mites in their cages ever......

Thanks a lot for your opinions......

[marckitt]

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[B.P.'s 4me]

He's a beautiful boy!!!!
My ball python did this, only she'd soak for hours and hours, in fact, once she got into her soaking bin, the only way she'd leave is if i physically took her out - which I'd do after 6 or 8 hours. I couldn't find mites on her either. In the end, it turns out she's about to shed, which I know you don't feel is the case with your guy.
The only other thing that comes to mind is to wonder if he may be constipated, when did he have his last bowel movement? I don't know if soaking would relieve this condition, but failing any other possibilities, might it be worth considering?