Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How often do SSTP's drink? I only ask because i've yet to see mine drink and i've had him for about a month. I know he probably does this when i'm not around or sleeping, but i was just wondering. I've also never seen him soaking in his water dish either. I usually soak him in warm water once a week and he always tries to get out of the water...is it possible that i just have one that doesnt really like water? The ambient air in the cage is usually around 83F and the humidity is usually 50-60% depending upon whether i just sprayed the cage or not. Yesterday i noticed his skin was a little wrinkled, just like my corn's when he is getting ready to shed. I soaked him and his skin returned to normal. I was just worried that he might be alittle dehydrated, though i hope i'm just being overly cautious. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
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1.0 Normal Cornsnake
1.0 Sumatran Short Tail Python

I think you're being overly cautious. The snake probably spends a couple of minutes a week drinking, chances are good you won’t be there to witness it. The fact that you don’t see your snake soaking tells me that the humidity is good and a proper hide box has been provided, therefore soaking or hiding in the water bowl is not necessary. Everything sounds good to me.
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Dennis

Overly cautious is not necessarily a bad thing - wrinkled skin on a blood is not a normal condition, even during a shed. I have a couple of bloods that I don't think drink out of their bowls (but they do sometimes drink the water after they spill it all over the place, lol). For that reason, I soak all of them for 15-20 minutes (or more, depending when they start drinking) every 10 days or so. I soak the babies more often, usually every 5-7 days or as needed (when they start to appear dehydrated...you know, the wrinkled skin thing)