Posted by:
amarilrose
at Wed Feb 21 13:08:29 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by amarilrose ]
I thought you already looked under your microscope and decided you weren't dealing with mites?
One other reason that Kaa may be soaking remember is that he could be getting ready to shed. If this is the case, the whole snake will get progressively duller looking and cloudy. I grew up referring to this state as "blue" because the eyes eventually look somewhat blue when they are fully clouded over. During this stage, snakes generally may be more fearful/aggressive (since they can't see very well), and may be reluctant to eat - but some snakes are perfectly willing to eat at this time anyway. Eventually, the eyes will suddenly clear up while the rest of the snake remains dull about 1-3 days before the snake will actually shed its old skin.
Are you monitoring humidity? You should be. Whether Kaa has been kept at ideal temps or just a little cool, if he is lacking some humidity, that could also cause him to want to soak - whether he is going into shed or not, but even more so if he is going into a shed cycle. Additionally, if you use a larger UTH, you may dry out the cage a little (so IF his humidity is perfect now, you may need to change something to keep it that way with a larger heat pad). If it turns out that you need to add some humidity, Walmart sells cheap little spray bottles in the hair care section. These are great because they are SO cheap, and you know for certain that there haven't been any cleaning chemicals used in the bottle. I use a bottle like this to mist my snakes' cages once or twice a day (more so in the winter because my house gets SO dry!).
Also, some snakes will soak when they feel that they are too warm. I know you keep him at the school you teach at, and the schools I've attended have had some pretty horrible issues with maintaining a constant temp - so if it was a day when your room's heat went 'bonkers,' he may have just been seeking some relief.
These are just some things to keep in mind. I can't tell you if you have mites or not - you have to determine that for yourself. Even if you don't have mites, everybody and their brother does swear by that Provent-A-Mite stuff so it may very well be worth keeping around.
Good luck, and I hope this helps some. 
~Rebecca
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0.1 Dumeril's Boa '04 (Courtney)
1.2 Ball Pythons
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)
[ Hide Replies ]
- so if they are mites? - slapnutz, Wed Feb 21 09:45:26 2007
- P-A-M - jdillow, Wed Feb 21 09:56:30 2007
- RE: P-A-M - nboles1215, Wed Feb 21 10:15:21 2007
 RE: so if they are mites? - amarilrose, Wed Feb 21 13:08:29 2007
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