Question about soaking!

[BallPythonBabe448]

Hey, Quigley hasn't used any of his hides. He uses his water bowl instead. He doesn't have mites. I don't think he knows that one of his hides (hot side) is a hide, so I think he's using his water bowl as a hide. I think he wants to stay on the warm side, but doesn't notice the hide on the warm side, so uses the water bowl instead. Does that sound possible? Do you think he could be using his water bowl as his hide?

BTW, im a proud mother or 5 herps, 2 of them I got in the past week!

[led4urhead]

In this topic, which is about soaking, Adam_Wysocki wrote:

In my experience, a couple of reasons why ball pythons soak are;

1. Too hot, trying to cool off. Temps should be 80-84 cool side and 90-95 on the hot.

2. Mites. Look for them around the eyes and in the crease of skin on the bottom of the lower jaw.

3. Large meal. Sometimes if you feed them to big of a meal, they will get in the water
to float and relieve some of the pressure on their bellies.

4. Security. I have seen this a lot. Without proper hides or hides that the snake
feels safe in they will often try to "hide out" in their water bowl to feel secure.
Ball pythons like the feeling of a hide touching them on all sides of their body. If
the water bowl does a better job than the hide box, then the water bowl is it.

5. Shedding. In the week before and during shedding if the humidity is not right, your
ball may soak.

I am sure there may be one or two I'm missing, but these are the most common. Likely a husbandry thing, try changing some things around until you find out what works.

Hope this helps.

-adam

He pretty much nailed it as far as i'm concerned. Do you have two hides ( you never mentioned a cool side hide )? What are your temps like?

[BallPythonBabe448]

They are about 90 on the warm side, and about 80 on the cool side. He has a cool side hide, and a warm side hide, but I think he wants to stay on the warm side, and he doesn't notice the warm side hide.

[sk8er4life]

3. Large meal. Sometimes if you feed them to big of a meal, they will get in the water
to float and relieve some of the pressure on their bellies.

wow i never knew that!