Juvenile ball python and bathing

[Neotetro]

Every now and again I get a little tub and fill it with lukewarm water, especially around shedding time. Is it normal for them to fall asleep in it? He was on top of a wash cloth but just sat there for about 5 minutes, pupils very small. I went to see if he was alright and he poked his head under the water and stayed there for about 10 seconds.

So my first question is, is it normal for them to fall asleep or actually sit and enjoy the water?

And the second is, How long can they hold their breath? It seemed like he was down there for a long time for his size

Thanks in advance!

[The Serpent Merchant]

Welcome to the site!

I would recommend that you stop soaking your BP. They generally do not like it, and it can actually dry out their skin which can lead to bad sheds. There are only a few times when soaking a BP is needed/worth the negatives and those are when a BP has mites, and after a BP has had a bad shed.

[Neotetro]

Ahh alright, so they're not fans of water? Good to know, it's true I've never seen my BP soak which is a good thing!

[Hartman3216]

Yeah I did that with my normal and after the second night in a row of doing that, I literally scared the poop out of him....never again.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Why do you bath him?

Bathing is unnecessary and stressful, and it can cause shedding issues among a few other things.