Can someone answer my question please? - Bathing my snake.

[JLC]

Something no one else has mentioned...you said that something "pink" was coming out of the cloaca? That is a sure-fire sign of HIGH stress.

We move when we're happy and excited...we're active creatures. Puppies and dogs wriggle when they are happy. Cats jump and run and play. SNAKES are not people, dogs, cats, or anything else you're likely to relate to. You can't interpret their movements with the same body language you'd apply to yourself or more common, emotional pets.

Some snakes naturally take to water, like bcr229's reticulated python. But ball pythons, as a general rule, are not a species of snake that looks for water to swim or hang out in.

If your husbandry is up to par, there's rarely any reason to need to soak or bathe your snake.

Also, water that is "warm but not hot" to you may seem way too hot to a cold blooded snake. Imagine a bowl of warm water...put your hand in it, and it feels fine. But if you've been playing in the snow and your hands are cold, that same bowl of water at the exact same temperature may feel scalding hot. Same thing can happen to a reptile who's internal temperatures are significantly lower than yours. If you need to put any reptile into a basin of water, that water should be tepid...neither warm nor cold...when you touch it with the inside of your wrist, it shouldn't feel like it has any temperature at all.

[bcr229]

And we don't have a short video showing this fun and frolic?

I'm thinking that we'll get a cheap kiddie pool this summer, once it gets warmer, for retic swimtime. The bathroom would be a bit cramped for one person dealing with Ms Karma and the other taking video.

[h20hunter]

I for one think that would be pretty cool to see your retic having a swim. If you get something posted and have a moment please send me a PM so I don't miss it.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

They don't enjoy it, they don't need it and it is stressful, usually anyone claiming otherwise either own a limited amount of BP or has for a very brief period or both.

Stress is really something you want to avoid with BP, because it always lead to other issues some more serious than others.

If a breeder says otherwise and a vet says otherwise find a new vet and a new breeder.

[DVirginiana]

If you really want to see whether or not your snake enjoys baths, give him a water dish large enough to soak in. That way there's no stress on the snake. If he doesn't have mites, my bet is that you'll never see him soaking though. BPs generally don't enjoy soaks, and as many people have already said moving around and becoming more active is a sign of stress, not happiness.

[Dano94]

Most ball pythons don't enjoy baths, they tolerate them. Also, being super-active is usually a sign that the snake isn't happy - it's trying to run away and hide.

If the vet recommended a bath then your ball python may have had a bit of stuck shed and was dehydrated. Also, if he had a ring of shed completely encircling his tail tip then yes, a quick dip to soften that shed so it doesn't get dried up and eventually cut off the blood flow to the tail isn't a bad idea. Long term though you need to fix your snake's humidity problems so it doesn't happen again.

I do have one snake that does enjoy swimming - she's a retic - getting her into a bath is easy, getting her out means getting soaked because she will fight to stay in.

Oh wow really?! Haha, I'd like to see that video if there is one.

Every time I took him out of the bath though, he slithered his way and got back inside it.

[200xth]

Every time I took him out of the bath though, he slithered his way and got back inside it.

They will try to hide in water if there is nowhere else to hide. It's a sign of insecurity, not enjoyment of water.

BP's go in water for three reasons mostly:

Insecurity - Not enough hides or places to feel secure
Temps - Too hot
Mites - Relief from mites by drowning them

[bondo]

Ball pythons do not need baths. If they need to soak they will go in their water bowl on their own. When it comes to vets you will find the majority don't know much about reptiles.

[Dano94]

They will try to hide in water if there is nowhere else to hide. It's a sign of insecurity, not enjoyment of water.

BP's go in water for three reasons mostly:

Insecurity - Not enough hides or places to feel secure
Temps - Too hot
Mites - Relief from mites by drowning them

Right, well it looks like I'm only going to give him a bath when it is absolutely necessary from now on.

Thanks everyone for all of your inputs. It's much appreciated.