Oh and to comment on the depth of the water, no it was not super deep, it was at the level I normally would use for him. I just meant "big tub" as in the size of the bath tub compared to any others we've had in the past and also in comparison to the water dish he had. I had made too full in the past when we first got him (he was our first snake) so I knew he was not a fan of deep water. And I have put either a log or my hand to rest on in the past, but the second he went into the water he freaked so much that I held him by his upper half, but he still was panicking. Again, I do check the temps, so I'm certain it was not too hot.