I'm So Inexperienced.........

[xXCleoPatraXx]

So,

My brother comes home today and says "Tess, you know your supposed to bathe the snake right?" I was like whatt ??? So id like to know if i should pour up some warm water for Cleo to swim around in... Do you think I should ??? Would it harm her? Can she die? All question need to be anwseredd!

[Skittles1101]

I think your brother is the one who is inexperienced. Baths for snakes are actually proven to be counter productive and remove the essential oils under their skin that helps them shed, not to mention the added unnecessary stress.

[angllady2]

Yeah, I think bro is listening to one too many pet store I - don't - know - it - all's.

You do not need to bathe your snake under any normal circumstances, only very rarely if it crawls through a poo mess and gets it everywhere.

It is a proven, established FACT that bathing your snake during a shed is the fastest way to ruin the shed. You do want and need to raise the humidity to help with the process, but not bathe the snake.

By the way sweetie, we all started out not knowing a darn thing, that's why we come here!

Gale

[satomi325]

There are only 2 occasions to bathe a snake.
1) If it gets poop or other nasties on it.
2) After a bad shed, you can give a snake a warm soak to get the left over shed off. (But there are still better options for a bad shed than a bath)

Otherwise, bathing a snake is ill advised. As LGray said, bathing a snake will strip the essential oils for the snake to properly shed it's skin. The oils acts like a lubricant to slide out of the old skin.


And bathing a snake in really shallow water is safe. She won't die as long as the water isn't high. About halfway of her body.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

There are only 2 occasions to bathe a snake.
1) If it gets poop or other nasties on it.
2) After a bad shed, you can give a snake a warm soak to get the left over shed off. (But there are still better options for a bad shed than a bath)

3 reasons

Bathing females after they lay their eggs is the 3rd one.

[satomi325]

3 reasons

Bathing females after they lay their eggs is the 3rd one.

OHH! I learn something new every day.
I had no idea. I haven't bred my girls yet. This is great to know.

[Cendalla]

There are only 2 occasions to bathe a snake.
1) If it gets poop or other nasties on it.
2) After a bad shed, you can give a snake a warm soak to get the left over shed off. (But there are still better options for a bad shed than a bath)

Otherwise, bathing a snake is ill advised. As LGray said, bathing a snake will strip the essential oils for the snake to properly shed it's skin. The oils acts like a lubricant to slide out of the old skin.


And bathing a snake in really shallow water is safe. She won't die as long as the water isn't high. About halfway of her body.

And be sure to remember that hot to you is very very hot to your cold blooded reptile