Hi Dan,

I respectfully disagree on a couple of points.

"In any environment, wild or captive, snakes are going to dehydrate as part of their natural biological processes and as a result of their environment."

I believe that all snakes spend their lives avoiding dehydration at all costs. They do this because even minor, chronic dehydration can lead to catastrophic outcomes including death by:

starvation - as dehydration can limit the ability to digest food.
illness - dehydration inhibits immune function and can allow normal pathogens/parasites to get the upper hand
organ failure - once the kidneys are compromised, a return to normal conditions (feeding) can cause failure
predation - searching for adequate moisture increases the chance of encountering a predator


"If the humidity is low, and the temperature is high, they will dehydrate faster."

This is why they choose to live in microhabitats that can escape these conditions

"I prefer having clean water available at all times, and a dry cage, because the dry cage allows their feces to dry out, and prevents bacteria, yeast and other nasties growing in the bedding. These things can and will lead to various illnesses."

Those same conditions that allow for a turd jerky will create a snake jerky. They encounter bacteria, mold, fungus parasites and other pathogens daily in the wild. It is their ability to maintain security, hydration and basking options at high temperatures that keeps their immune system humming to the point where none of those nasties stands a chance.

Also, I know that this post was sort of hijacked, but I think that these tangents lead to the best discussions on these relatively dead forums. Thanks.

Will

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