Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi! I just brought a baby BRB home from the expo. She's set up in a small glass tank with a small hide and a LARGE water bowl for humidity. Pretty much immediately after I put her in, she beelined for the water bowl to soak. She was in there a good half hour, I started to get nervous, so I took her out. She went right back in. She's been in her water bowl over an hour.

Is this normal? Perhaps she's dehydrated from being without humidity at the expo? Do I need to worry?

I know that they soak, but HOW LONG should a typical soak last?

Thanks in advance!

Depends on the individual snake, their mood, and the enclosure conditions. My pair almost never soaked as babies but as adults I have caught them soaking for several days straight and then nothing for a couple of weeks. Others I have talked to have had babies soak for extended periods from birth. I would not worry as long as all the husbandry requirements are met. What temps does the enclosure have both at the hot end and the cool end? how many hides do you have, how are they positioned/distributed, and are any of them humid hides? How big is the tank and how is it covered? What substrate are you using?

Sean.
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1.1 BRB
0.1 Pacific Gophersnake(unproven Hypo)
1.0 Amel Pacific Gophersnake
0.1 Striped Anery Pacific Gophersnake
1.1 Triple Het TPRS's
0.1 Silver TPRS
1.1 Amel Bloodred Corns
0.1 Abbott Okeetee Corn
0.1 Blizzard Bloodred Corn
1.1 Thayeri Kingsnakes
0.1 Reeve's Turtle
0.2 Amstaff's
1.0 Pudytat

Like Sean said - details of your setup are in order to ensure your setup is not the cause.

That aside, baby BRB's can and will soak for extended periods. Yes, being at the expo will dehydrate a baby and soaking will be natural. BUT, soaking can be a sign of mites. Really not a clear indicator with BRB's as they like to soak any ways. Just be sure to check the water bowl for drowned mites. Other than setup and mites, a BRB soaking is nothing to worry about.

In case you have not seen one, here is a pic of a couple mite with a penny for size comparison...

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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Hi! Thanks for the replies. I feel a bit better now that he's been in my care overnight. My set-up is fine, that's not the issue. She didn't even check out my set-up, she went straight for the water bowl as soon as I put her in. She eventually came out and seems ok. When I bought her, she was sitting on dry carefresh, I think she was just a bit dehydrated. I'm going to take my loupe and check for mites anyway, that's not a bad idea.

This is my first boa, I keep pythons. My son has wanted a rainbow boa for years, I felt he was ready to care for one now.

Now I would like to find a nice fella for her. I prefer to keep two of a kind. This one was sold to me as a Lamar phase. The seller said it's parents were bright orange. That was very appealing to my son. I wanted to get the one with the BIG crescents. So, that's what I will be looking for in a male. Can anyone recommend a seller that has nice bright babies with BIG crescents?

Thanks again...

PS: Please excuse the spelling and grammatical errors, for some reason I can't edit my post and I typed this fast....

Cool, Just one key point - no screen top!!!

For babies, I'd have to send you to Jeff Clark as I'm almost out of babies, only one male left. I typically have just what you're looking for but they went fast this year - really fast. Jeff's having a later season and just recently had his last litter.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats