bathing balls!!!

[tikigator]

Personally I see no problem with an occasional soak. They will hydrate through the skin and if there are humidity issues it will keep them hydrated. There are little to no down sides, just as long as the water is not too warm (88+) and it is not deeper than the 1/2 up the body of the snake.

mark and marley I have a small suggestion for the future rather than a sink buy a cheap 'dish pan' or any correctly sized flat bottomed container that way you don't get a deep spot the water can be an even depth.

Soaking before a shed however is not a great idea. It does not do what would be expected. The layer of liquid between the old and new skin is not water but a secretion and is slippery. It acts as a lubrication to the shedding skin a soak before the shed cycle washes away this lubrication and can lead to poor sheds. After an incomplete shed the secretion dries and a soak helps re-moisten the old skin and aids in removal. Snakes should not be soaked when 'blue'

r. Journal of Zoology, Alibardi, 246 pp 379-390

I now have a rack....but for the past year or so I have only had tanks and my male BP (who was my first snake) would go into shed and shed in a bazillion pieces...it looked like it snowed in his tank. I read this was due to low humidity....and it was hard to keep the humidity high in a tank....so I would put a small plastic tank (like the kind a kid would keep a hermit crab in) inside his large tank (40 breeder) and leave a warm soaked hand towel inside the small plastic tank. And he will get in there and "steam" (as I call it, like a little sauna!) and he will stay in there for hours....and the next day I find his shed all in one piece in his tank. So....I dont know if this is not a good thing to do or not...it has always worked for me and I'm assuming if he didn't like it he wouldn't go in there to 'soak'....granted the hand towel is soaked with water then rung out (so its wet but not a pool of water either).

I did this with a couple other snakes I have and they all get in the smaller tank to hang out while in shed and they all shed nicely in one piece with no problems and no shed left over (no retained eyecaps, etc)

[kitedemon]

That would basically be a humid hide of sorts. I have used basically the same with moss they work quite well soaking in free water is totally different. A humid hide will allow the snake to re-hydrate when de-hydrated and the aid the enzyme production that breaks the separation between the layers of skin and lubricates the separation of the outer epidermal generation and the stratum germinativum. (the skin to be shed and new skin underneath if there are lay terms I don't know what they are...) Washing away this enzyme can (not always ) lead to poor sheds. The previous post of a soaked snake before the actual shed cycle and the shed is currently incomplete. It does no harm, incomplete sheds, but this is likely the cause I thought that some might find it useful. Take away what you will.

[mark and marley]

i was left broke after the vet visit so the sink had to do at that time.Marley has a tub for bathing(if need be),and for temporary placement when time comes for the big cleaning. her eyes werent blue.thanks for peoples suggestions and whatever else is happening in this thread.

[kitedemon]

Sorry the blue was pointed towards another poster, I hate perpetuating myths. These are little one eyed Lucy having her bath, she had been treated for tapeworms (I will not feed frozen that has not been frozen for less than 24 hours again....) That caused constipation issues so daily soaks for 30 min. She is a very low activity snake so she is the only one of ours that gets regular soaks and 30 min of crawling about the floor every week mostly. She seems prone to such issues. She is the most calm and trustworthy animal ever, a real lap snake.

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[xFenrir]

I only bathe my Ball when she has a bad shed, or when she plays with her food and ends up exploding it all over herself and her tank. I think the last time I bathed her was for the RI she had, and BOY, she let me know she wasn't happy about it. She hissed, swam around like a madman, and at one point she submarined around the tub blowing bubbles. Normally she tolerates it pretty well.

Next time she has to get a bath I'll get pictures.

[mark and marley]

those are some nice pics kite and she looks really calm and thats super nice your taking such good care of her as well.

[Anna.Sitarski]

I bathe mine every time they defecate. I use Johnson&Johnson baby shampoo. They don't mind. My blood loves it. He gets bath time just for the hell of it.

[Rat160]

[QUOTE=mark and marley;1574393]i dont know if this thread is out there but lets do this.lets see some bathtime pics.
heres one of my baby

Group Photo!!

[mark and marley]

rat that is a great pic.now get in with them.

[Rat160]

rat that is a great pic.now get in with them.

Not a bad idea! I didnt think of that. Would make for a good picture. I think next bath time ill participate!