Can I use shampoo or soap on my BP?

[squatsnstilettos]

Sometimes my most beloved sits in her urine/urates before I get a chance to clean her tank (I always tidy the same day she's pee'd/poo'd). I'd like to bathe her. Is there a soap that is snake friendly? Maybe a baby organic unscented shampoo? tx!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Snakes do not need to be bathed, it is stressful and unnecessary. If you must clean your snake wipe it off with Chlorhexidine or F10

[PassionFruitReptiles]

There is no reason to bathe your Ball Python for any reason, if my snakes or larger lizards got dirty or unsanitary i would do a once over with a baby wipe. Much less stressful for the snake and it takes only a minute or two tops.

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[BCS]

I agree that snakes do not need to be bathed, but, the fact of how unsanitary poo and pee can be, I would not want to sit in it either. Depending on how messy it is, a warm wash cloth is the best thing you can do.

[MarkS]

Chlorhexidine is a good item to have on hand, it's not a cleanser per se since it contains no soaps or detergents but it's a very good all around disinfectant. If you're worried about fecal matter on your snake, just wipe your snake down with a washcloth soaked in a dilute solution of chlorhexidine and you're good to go. I use it regularily in my cages and on my waterbowls.

[JoshSloane]

When I have boas that need a bath I let them soak in a warm tub with just a very small amount of gentle scent free soap. Never had any skin or eye issues.

[DVirginiana]

I don't typically clean any of my reptiles. If they have something stuck on them that I'm worried about causing a potential health issue (like they've crawled through poo and have it stuck to them) I usually just use a wet paper towel to get it off. I just make very sure to wash my hands well after doing anything in that room; even just touching the doorknob or checking the temps.

The main thing I'd worry about using any sort of chemical (especially soap or shampoo) in a soak or bath is the snake drinking it. It only takes a second of looking away for the snake to decide to take a sip. For that reason I never soak with any sort of chemical unless it's medically necessary. (I don't soak anyway, but a water soak can't potentially poison the snake lol).

[JLC]

I agree that it's rarely ever necessary to bathe a snake. If I felt I had to do so though, for whatever reason, I'd choose Dawn...plain ol' original Dawn (none of the fancy scented stuff). It's the go-to cleanser for every wildlife rescue I've ever heard of. It's also recommended for treating mites. (It won't kill off an infestation, but if used properly it will drown the suckers that are currently on a snake) Even so, I'd use it very sparingly...just a few scant drops in a sink of water.

Only reasons I can think of to use it:

1. Drown mites crawling on a snake
2. Frozen/thawed rat exploded all over snake during constriction
3. Snake crawled through runny poo and had a LOT of it dry on its body

[Aercadia]

I have read/heard/seen a few sources talking about bathing a female snake after taking her eggs so that she doesn't smell them on her and continue to try and hatch them even though they are missing... Do any of you do this?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I have read/heard/seen a few sources talking about bathing a female snake after taking her eggs so that she doesn't smell them on her and continue to try and hatch them even though they are missing... Do any of you do this?

I remove the scent of eggs by wiping off the females (no bath)