Holding breath....

[lillyorchid]

How long can a ball python hold their breath?

Sebastian is getting ready to shed, so I took him out and put him in an extra tank and put some warm water in it. He keeps swimming around underwater and oh boy did that freak me out a bit.

[elevatethis]

Is that a serious question? Or am I missing an inside joke...?

[Schlyne]

I wouldn't put the snake in water that is any deeper than the middle of the body vertically. You don't want the snake to panic, or tire itself out and drown.

[Razaiel]

The occasional time I've put a snake in water (making sure it's not too deep) it has never purposely gone under the water with its head - normally they keep their head elevated. The only reptiles I've had that seem to enjoy getting their heads under water is lizards.

[MontyNSpike]

My ball python held his breath once for about a minute and a half. He reaaally doesn't like going to the vet! He was getting a check up and the vet was looking in his mouth and she wanted to see the air hole and he was very defiant about breathing, but finally did of course.

[Vomitore]

My BP used to take her mice into her waterbowl and drown them.

[johnsgirl128]

my baby would get down in her bowl and dunk her head under for maybe a few seconds but like you it would freak me out so i would make a movement to get her attention and she would come up

[dr del]

Hi,


Well when I worked in a reptile shop (many many moons ago) the boss used to put snakes in a plastic tank with a clip on top almost full of tepid to slightly warm water (the water level depended on the length of the snake - he did at least make sure it could stick its head out) as a method of quickly removing severe mite infestations in animals that came in with them.

He said this was a good way of rapidly lowering the number of them before they went into the quaratine tank with the mite treatment.

Watching this I have seen snakes site quite happily underwater for over 10 minutes before "surfacing" to breathe.

In my royals at home only one tends to sit in the waterbowl with any regularity but I have watched her for at least 5 minutes. The vet I used to use told me once that he had had snakes hold their breath for 45 minutes but I didnt think to ask the type/size.



dr del

[snakedude56]

when honey had a bad shed I soaked her in a shallow cool whip bowl for about a half an hour but I don't think she put her head under even once.