Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

My rescue bp must think he's an anaconda. His foster parent said he spent a lot of time soaking even when humidity was OK. There are no skin problems or parasites, good sheds, etc. He is in excellent condition overall. He just loves being in water. My question is how much is too much? If I give him a bowl large enough to soak in he spends almost all his time in it. Cage humidity ranges from 40% up to 60% after misting. I rotate to a smaller bowl to make sure he does dry out. What are the earliest signs of skin trouble from being too wet, and how often and how long should I let him soak himself? Yes, he has hides, is on newspaper, UTH and radiant heat panel above. Temps range from 80 F to about 92 F. Thanks!

>>Hi,
>>
>>My rescue bp must think he's an anaconda. His foster parent said he spent a lot of time soaking even when humidity was OK. There are no skin problems or parasites, good sheds, etc. He is in excellent condition overall. He just loves being in water. My question is how much is too much? If I give him a bowl large enough to soak in he spends almost all his time in it. Cage humidity ranges from 40% up to 60% after misting. I rotate to a smaller bowl to make sure he does dry out. What are the earliest signs of skin trouble from being too wet, and how often and how long should I let him soak himself? Yes, he has hides, is on newspaper, UTH and radiant heat panel above. Temps range from 80 F to about 92 F. Thanks!

Have you tried a smaller water bowl and a humidity hide? Mine will use that before a bowl.
I would say, watch for skin trouble and otherwise, if it ain't broke......
That said, none of my BPs soak. My SST soaks sometimes and my major water lover is my male black ratsnake....go figure.
-----
Sonya

Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with the software.

I just started offering a humidity hide and the smaller water bowl so don't know yet if he prefers that. So far he is attracted to it only if it is pretty wet, so I would have the same concerns about catching skin problems early. What is the earliest symptom of skin trouble and how do I recognize it?

>>I just started offering a humidity hide and the smaller water bowl so don't know yet if he prefers that. So far he is attracted to it only if it is pretty wet, so I would have the same concerns about catching skin problems early. What is the earliest symptom of skin trouble and how do I recognize it?

I have found with my own snakes that as long as some of the cage is dry that the skin troubles don't seem an issue. It is when the whole cage is wet that I would really worry. That is why I don't like to mist cages wholesale.
-----
Sonya

Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with the software.

Have you checked for mites? Soaking is one sign of mites. Not sure if you've considered/checked this out yet. Just a thought.
-----
Check Out My Albums

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

Yep, he has been checked over and over by his foster home and myself. Has not been exposed to any. Nothing.

if you have the water bowl in the same spot all the time try moving it & put another hide spot there. maybe he fancies that particular spot in the cage. i have had alot of the balls that i have worked with seem to love a good water hide spot. my room is 60% to 70% humidity. at first i thought it might have been a problem but so far no mites, no skin probs or anything. if he is new to your home maybe that's just where he feels most secure. there we days where i thought mine never left the water but i wasn't there all day to monitor if he was or not. I say keep a good eye but don't worry yourself to death unless things seem wrong. also maybe try a tad lighter on the heat maybe he prefers a temp a little cooler than a 92 to 80 degree gradient. try maybe 90 to 78.

It could be dehydrated, if there are no external parasites. Judging by your saying that he'll only use the humid hide if it's really wet, I'd say it's dehydrated. Blister Disease, from too much moisture, will start out as a discoloration of the scales...kind of brownish. Then it will move onto small open sores or blisters. If you notice anything like this, at all, take it to the Vet because any spot of infection you can see on the outside is about twice as bad on the inside. You seem to be staying on top of it, though, so carry on. Try the idea of putting a hide in place of the water dish and putting the dish somewhere else.

Thanks for all your tips! I've now got things to try and what to look for. Appreciate the help.