washing/bathing our bps in cold water

[jackiechan]

After watching countless videos of bps enjoying baths and swimming around.. i came to realize from another post i had stated about temperature; We should be feeling the water to be on the cold side?

It only makes sense that the receptors on our fingers only feel anything warm thats above our body heat (98.6 degrees), so with that saying.. feeling water that is "LUKE warm" would be considered hotter than 98.6?

Im not sure so just help me clarify my theory lol. I post this because i followed the "luke warm" water bath, and my bp wanted out every time i put him in. He would slither to the edge and try to get out ASAP.

Thanks for reading.

[Skittles1101]

If I ever have to soak (which I have had to a lot recently thanks to mites) I have a plain old fashioned "mercury" thermometer that I run under the water and adjust until its at about 85 degrees or so...never over 90.

[Inknsteel]

This is a common misconception. Your EXTERNAL body temperature is not 98.6. That's your internal, core temp. If you put your hand on an 80 degree heat source, that heat source is not going to feel cool or cold to the touch. It will feel luke-warm to the touch. If you are unsure of the temps, you should be checking with a probed thermometer. 80 degree water shouldn't feel cold, or even really cool. It should really feel, for lack of ANY other term, luke-warm. Definitely don't bathe a snake in water that feels cold to your touch.

[Homegrownscales]

Water for bathing should be a temp of 88.f. This is from my DMV when I first got Into rescuing balls. 88.f isn't too warm or too cold. It a perfect temp. To me 88.f feels Luke warm but I take water temps with a digital therm so I can make sure it's spot on. Measuring basing on feeling isn't very accurate.


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[Inknsteel]

To go one step further, whenever I have to bathe my snakes after they've played in a particularly messy poo for instance, I use a small-ish tupperware container. I fill it about 2 inches deep with luke-warm water, put the snake in, put the lid on, then set it inside their tub, directly on their hot spot. This keeps the water at ideal temps for the 15-20 minutes I leave them soaking...

[Egapal]

This is a common misconception. Your EXTERNAL body temperature is not 98.6. That's your internal, core temp. If you put your hand on an 80 degree heat source, that heat source is not going to feel cool or cold to the touch. It will feel luke-warm to the touch. If you are unsure of the temps, you should be checking with a probed thermometer. 80 degree water shouldn't feel cold, or even really cool. It should really feel, for lack of ANY other term, luke-warm. Definitely don't bathe a snake in water that feels cold to your touch.

I agree mostly. There is more to how something feels than the temperature of the item you are touching. I am sitting at a desk with a metal side, fake wood top and next to a sheet rock wall. All of these items are at room temperature of 70 degrees. The metal feels cold, the fake wood cool and the sheet rock a little warmer still. What makes an item feel cool is the rate that it conducts heat away from your body. So something with greater thermal conductivity will feel cooler. Tile floors feel cooler than wood floors for instance. On top of all that "feels cold" is subjective. I put my hands in 72 degree water and think that's warm. My mom would say its freezing. If you are unsure of what water at the correct temp would feel like just go put your hand in your snakes water bowl. It should be that or slightly warmer.

[Homegrownscales]

Whoops I just noticed I transposed a couple letters in my last post. DMV should be DVM. Didn't want folks thinking I was getting advice from the department of motor vehicles. Lol.


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[mattchibi]

If you dont have an IR thermometer, then just judge by putting your hand in. It should be around the same temperature as a baby's bath water. I work at a pool, and we have 4 different pools. The wading pool which is only about 2 feet high is for babies & their parents and it is maintained at 88 F. The kids pool is kept also around 87-88. There are two lane pools, which are kept at 82 and 84. The 84 pool is still somewhat warm, but it starts getting a little chilly. The 82 pool is pretty cold every time you jump in. Take that into mind, and also snakes probably are more sensitive to heat than humans. So yeah like others said, keep the water between 80-88 and you should be safe.

[kitedemon]

I would not suggest guessing. My hand is currently reading 101ºF 80º hot spot to me now doesn't feel very warm. I would NEVER bath at 80º on purpose swim sure but tub no way. Luke warm will not feel the same all the time to every person. If you are cold it is cooler warm warmer. Don't guess temps. IR guns are great tools but understanding the limitations is important they cannot accurately measure translucent surfaces like air and water.

[MazAnth]

After watching countless videos of bps enjoying baths and swimming around.. i came to realize from another post i had stated about temperature; We should be feeling the water to be on the cold side?
Thanks for reading.

Ball Pythons don't enjoy baths and THEY ARE NOT swimming aroud having fun they are trying to get out of the water.