Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK, soooo how long is this crazy snake going to soak ??, this is day 7...

Mites? Temps? Whats the story?

Thats just it,,there isn't any issues like that.He started to show signs of a shed(pink belly),thats when he got in the water.His eyes clowded up,just like a normal shed.He just does'nt want to get out of the water.
Should I remove the water for a while, see what happens ?

Order Provent-A-Mite now. Even if, by chance, you dont have them (I would bet your snake does) its always good to have P.A.M. on hand. You can always pre-treat substrate and it is very good for quaranty tanks.

If I were you, I would get a loupe (radio shack) and take the snake out and look very closly in folds of neck, in the nostrils and especially in the eyelids. Pull the eyelids back and I will bet you will see these little tiny blackish/brown buggers with little crab like arms...

Are there any other explanations for long soaking? I have a large male I have had for quite some time who I am 99.9% sure does not have mites. He just...seems to like to soak. There are no other health issues that could result in prolonged soaking?
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
2.0 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

Check the temp, the animal may be trying to cool off. From a fellow Nebraskan.

or maybe the snake just feels like soaking, I had a ball got a couple weeks where she would put her whole body in here water dish and sit with just here head out of the water. I went crazy and then one day she just quit doing it and went back to normal... sometimes I wander if they do it just to see what we will do.

All was fine sometimes they just really like to soak as they get ready to shed.

matt

Aside from pregnant females, I just about never, ever see my Ball Pythons soaking. I mean 99.8% of the time the choose not to soak. I do not have 1000 animals, but I have been doing this for a few years and I pay attention to them...?

I would be very, very concerned about mites if I did start seeing this behavior. Many people dont think they have them and they do. Get a loupe & a tooth pick and check under ever scale, inside eye lids, inbetween that bare space in the neck skin flap, by the cloaca...they are there sometimes and you dont know it...nasty buggers.

How many folks here see their Ball Pythons soaking alot?

I would say that there are not many people out their that have seen their balls soaking alot, however there are some that decide they want to soak as they near shed.

Matt

I will check again for mites (I know what they look like) just to be sure. Other than the soaking this snake shows no signs of distress or irritation. Ate normally, shed normally, nothing floating in the soaks I may give him right before he sheds. I will double check temps and look for mites and let you all know.
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
2.0 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

Is that the head-mounted magnifier the vet uses?

A loupe is basically a magnifying glass, usually held up to one eye. Jewelers use them and pretty much any profession that works with fine details or small objects. The magnifying glass your vet uses is similiar.

An example of a loupe:

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PHLdyPayne