Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a question about water bowls, when the water starts to go down in then do you guys take them out and clean them, or do you just add more water, or do you take it out dump the old water and add new water. I know if they poop in it, well to clean it good. Another question should you have a water bowl that the whole body can fit into, or just a drinking dish type thing.
Thanks
Jeff

I change my water bowls every 5 days unless they go poop I will change it sooner. I think there water bowls should alway be big so they can soak in it. some of my pythons will stay in there water bowl for 5 days and the only reason they come out is those are the days i feed them. I hope i aswered your question.

It's funny you should ask this today. Today is what we always refer to as "Super Bowl Sunday". Not because of anything related to football, but because every sunday we (My wife and I) Go through all the snake rooms and thoroughly disinfect each and every one of the 130 water bowls. It does not take very long and we often have this seemingly difficult task down to under an hour and a half. I put my two bowl washing tubs on my homemade rolling work-station and we cruise through the rooms diligently cleaning every bowl. We use a very hot water with a generous amount of Dial Antibacterial dish soap and about 5% bleach (maybe a cup to two gallons).

Never add new water to old water unless it is the same day you put a clean bowl, or maybe the next day. But if it is several days later, it's wiser to dump out the old and replace it with all new. Old water with any bacterial growth will IMMEDIATELY contaminate any new water and so any new water cannot be considered "fresh".

We give all our snakes a drinking crock and a soak tub. The drinking crocks are filled to the top on Super Bowl Sunday with filtered water right after they are washed and dried. This usually lasts the snakes for the full week until the next Sunday, but if they tip them over we will refill. Or when big girls eat rabbits they drink a full crock and we will also refill that immediately. The soak tubs we fill with tap water as it would be near impossible to provide several thousand gallons of filtered water weekly. But the snakes seem to know the difference and I have yet to see one drinking from the "Tap Tubs" (changed regularly on "Tap Tub Tuesday" although I'm sure it does happen occasionally.

I hope this helps to answer your question. (did you get the picture of me an Fluffers?)

>>I have a question about water bowls, when the water starts to go down in then do you guys take them out and clean them, or do you just add more water, or do you take it out dump the old water and add new water. I know if they poop in it, well to clean it good. Another question should you have a water bowl that the whole body can fit into, or just a drinking dish type thing.
>>Thanks
>>Jeff
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It isn't "Ideas" that fail or succeed,... it is the "Sytstems" which are instilled to launch and sustain the idea that either fail or succeed.>[Me.]

I clean out water bowls everytime I refill them- usually every week. I don't let water go for more than week in the cage since the snakes seem to know it is not fresh and they will not drink it even if it is left in there. I used to use a disinfectant that I can no longer find to clean up the bowls and cages but now I just use a 5% bleach solution and a scouring pad.
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Marcia Pimentel
Tango River Reptiles
GiantFeeders