bassin32

[bassin32]

My BP has already shed, however he is always sitting in the water. Is this normal for BP? I have a kitty litter box in his tank filled about half way up with water. Im just wondering if this is normal for BP

Thanx
Mike

[Inknsteel]

Generally, a bp soaking is an indicator of something wrong. Before we can give you much advice, we need info from you about your setup.

When did you get the snake?
How old and how big is he/she?
What kind of enclosure do you have him/her in?
What kind of heat are you providing?
How are you measuring and regulating the heat?
What are your temps, hot/cool/ambient?
What is the humidity in the enclosure and how are you measuring?

Generally, some basic reasons a bp might soak are:

MITES (Most common reason for soaking in my experience)
Temperature in the tank is too hot, the snake could be trying to cool off.
Overfed - If a snake is fed too large of a meal, it may soak to relieve some of the pressure.

What I'm trying to say is that there could be a number of reasons why. It could be anything, or it could be that your snake has just decided to go for a dip. We won't be able to tell you without more info. Pics are always a plus...

ps - Welcome to bp.net. Read up, there's a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips...

[bassin32]

Thanks for the info.
The temp runs abou 86 in the hot area and about 78 in the dark area of the tank. The snake is in a 30 gallon long tank. I purchased the snake at a local pet store here in Kentucky. He has a snake heat light 60 watts and a under the tank heating pad in the cool area. I keep the heat light over the water to help with the humidity.I have looked for mite howver I can not find any.
How is the best way to measure the humdiity in the tank?

Thank you for any help !!!!!

Mike

[Inknsteel]

Thanks for the info.
The temp runs abou 86 in the hot area and about 78 in the dark area of the tank.

First thing, your temps should be higher. 90-94 warm side, 80-04 cool side. But how are you measuring the temps, and where are you measuring them? If the pet store sold you those dial thermometers, you need to ditch those and buy a digital. Most people recommend an accurite thermometer/hygrometer with a probe (WalMart or Lowes or someplace similar, around $12). You want to measure the temps on the surface of the tank, not at the top.

The snake is in a 30 gallon long tank. I purchased the snake at a local pet store here in Kentucky. He has a snake heat light 60 watts and a under the tank heating pad in the cool area. I keep the heat light over the water to help with the humidity.

I'm guessing this is what the pet store told you to buy. If this is a baby or juvenile snake, that 30 long is going to be too big. Do you have any hides? BPs like tight spaces, so you need to offer at least 2 identical hides, one on the cool side, one on the warm side. But with that size tank, you probably could use more hides, and a lot of things to offer cover for the snake to feel secure.

Also, I'm assuming they didn't sell you a thermostat or any way to regulate the heat pad either? Without being hooked to some kind of thermostat, rheostat, or dimmer, those pads can get to 120+ degrees and burn your snake really badly. If you don't have something regulating that UTH, unplug it fast.

I have looked for mite howver I can not find any.
How is the best way to measure the humdiity in the tank?

Thank you for any help !!!!!

Mike

If you take the snake out of the bowl and look in the bottom, do you see any black specks in the bottom of the bowl? If so, you've got mites. You'll want to get a can of Provent-a-Mite to treat that, which you can find and order online. I'm guessing though, if you don't have that UTH regulated, your snake is probably trying to keep from getting cooked.

[bassin32]

First thing, your temps should be higher. 90-94 warm side, 80-04 cool side. But how are you measuring the temps, and where are you measuring them? If the pet store sold you those dial thermometers, you need to ditch those and buy a digital. Most people recommend an accurite thermometer/hygrometer with a probe (WalMart or Lowes or someplace similar, around $12). You want to measure the temps on the surface of the tank, not at the top.



I'm guessing this is what the pet store told you to buy. If this is a baby or juvenile snake, that 30 long is going to be too big. Do you have any hides? BPs like tight spaces, so you need to offer at least 2 identical hides, one on the cool side, one on the warm side. But with that size tank, you probably could use more hides, and a lot of things to offer cover for the snake to feel secure.

Also, I'm assuming they didn't sell you a thermostat or any way to regulate the heat pad either? Without being hooked to some kind of thermostat, rheostat, or dimmer, those pads can get to 120+ degrees and burn your snake really badly. If you don't have something regulating that UTH, unplug it fast.



If you take the snake out of the bowl and look in the bottom, do you see any black specks in the bottom of the bowl? If so, you've got mites. You'll want to get a can of Provent-a-Mite to treat that, which you can find and order online. I'm guessing though, if you don't have that UTH regulated, your snake is probably trying to keep from getting cooked.

Thank you for the help, I have unpluged the UTH, I will be getting a thermostat today. Again THANKS