BP & Water Droplets

[Mnmyers616]

So I’ve had my BP for a few weeks now. She’s not my first, but definitely the first to show this odd behavior. I have a mister set up to go off once every 2 hours for 10 seconds. As soon as the mister goes off, she comes out of her hide and drinks the mist off of the tank glass. Which doesn’t seem weird until I start thinking about the following:
1. She has a Fluker’s brand water dish which i’ve seen her soak in but not drink out of
2. Her humidity/misting and dish-water comes straight out of a 29 gallon fish tank that i’ve had cycled for over a year
3. I keep her dish clean
With those things in mind I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t just drink out of her water dish if she’s thirsty. Should I even be concerned?

[KMG]

I see you got it. Good deal.


I don't think that's much to be concerned with. I bet it has drank from the bowl and you just haven't seen it.

Maybe she just likes to feel like she's drinking rain water. My GTP and ETB will drink like that.

[Mnmyers616]

Yes I got it posted thanks for the help! You’re probably right about her doing it when i’m away from her. But it just seemed odd that she isn’t regularly drinking out of her dish as she is on the glass. That’s just the response I was looking for though. Glad she’s staying hydrated even if her way is an awkward approach lol.

[Luvyna]

It’s normal for snakes to do that I’ve seen my BP drink droplets from misting off of his hide, or even drops of water on the sides of his water bowl while a full bowl of fresh water is just sitting there.

I think it’s an instinctive behaviour snakes developed in the wild because they most likely will not easily come by standing pools of water (especially true for snakes in deserts or hot climates). Standing pools of water can also be more risky to drink from because other larger animals and potential predators are drinking there too. Snakes have to be opportunistic and likely rely on drinking dew, fresh rainwater, and any other moisture they come by, even if it’s just a few drops.

Also, your BP probably does drink from her water bowl, just very secretively. It’s a vulnerable position for them to be in and I have only seen my BP drinking from his bowl a handful of times in 2 years. If I catch him drinking and I move or approach him, he will instantly shoot back into his hide.

[GoingPostal]

You're giving your snake fish tank water to drink? Give the snake clean fresh water, not water full of fish poop to drink.

[Bogertophis]

My snakes have always done this at times- it's the same as drinking rain water before it pools in the wild, where water "in a bowl" is often hard to come by. Many times I've seen my own snakes drink water off their own coils if I mist them heavily enough- they'll also drink right from the spray mist as I'm using it. Pretty cute- & very normal "wild-snakey" behavior.

[Hugsplox]

You're giving your snake fish tank water to drink? Give the snake clean fresh water, not water full of fish poop to drink.

Agreed, is there a reason behind you doing this? The main reason for water changes in a fish tank is to remove debris and nitrates from the water so I'm not sure how healthy it is for your snake. On top of that if you're adding chemicals to your fish tank for any reason your snake is probably getting dosed too.

[Bogertophis]

You're giving your snake fish tank water to drink? Give the snake clean fresh water, not water full of fish poop to drink.

Agreed, is there a reason behind you doing this? The main reason for water changes in a fish tank is to remove debris and nitrates from the water so I'm not sure how healthy it is for your snake. On top of that if you're adding chemicals to your fish tank for any reason your snake is probably getting dosed too.

Seriously, the more I think about this, the more it makes me want to hurl.

[Armiyana]

You would have to pay me good money to drink fish tank water on a dare.... I would never consider giving it to my animals to drink. Many fish can also harbor parasites and such as well. Not a good idea to introduce that to your reptile.

That said.... if your concern is the chlorine in tap water.... I think it is absolutely fine to use a basic dechlorinator for fish tanks. It's pretty much the same as reptisafe. But I wouldn't use anything that has been treated with any other types of fish products. Some of these are even dangerous to amphibians and reptiles if you read the labels.

[Luvyna]

You're giving your snake fish tank water to drink? Give the snake clean fresh water, not water full of fish poop to drink.

Agreed with this, I missed this part of OP's post earlier. Maybe this is why your snake prefers to drink water from misting instead of the bowl. I would never give my snake anything other than water I'd be willing to drink myself. If the tap water in your area isn't good, you can use water that's gone through a water filter for humans or bottled water.