Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I picked up a 50/50 cross at the Daytona show the other month - he's probably about 6'. He never showed any interest in his water bowl until the first time he fed. After feeding he immediately tried to fit as much of himself in his water bowl. A couple days later I gave him a water bowl he could fit his entire self in. He thermoregulates by going back and forth from basking spot to water bowl during the day and spends most of the night in the water bowl. If I had to guesss, I'd say he spends 12-14 hours in bowl per day. The water bowl is not the only cool place in the cage which has an ambient temp of 78. I thought it strange that he was spending so much time in the water until I noticed his skin began to take on an opaque appearance over a 2 day period. Interestingly though, his eyes never became opaque (I've been checking everyday). He's had the opaque appearance for about 8-9 days now and I've been holding off on feeding until he sheds. I've had him for 5 weeks, fed him twice, but no defecation yet. All this info is leading to a few questions....

Does anyone else have a carpet that spends this much time in the water (keep in mind he was soaking 2 weeks before he ever went opaque)? Does this much time in the water pose any health problems?

Is it possible that all his soaking has somehow dulled his color and he's not actually getting ready to shed (I'm puzzled by the lack of opaque eyes)?

Perhaps I'm worrying for no good reason, but after being out of the hobby for years I thought I'd ask folks with more carpet experience than myself.

Thanks,
Evan

what is cage size? what type cage is it? glass/wood/platic.
what is all around temps? hot spot/ambiant/cool end.
Does your snake have a hide? both on hot side and cool side?
Have you checked for mites? Do you mist the cage often or do anythign to raise the humidity?

in my experiance when a snake is in to large of a cage/ or temps on hot spot are to high/ doesnt feel secure/ or has mites it will soak quite a bit instead of just awhile here and there.

cage is 3x2x2, glass w/ screen top. If anything, it's probably on the small side. The animal has shown no interest in a hide regardless of where I place it in the cage. Humidity on average is 50%, I dampen the substrate every 4 days or so which brings it up another 10% or so. The snake has a perch under the lamp and on the non-heated part of the cage, but he only perches under the lamp. The heated perch area is at about 90 degrees and he will stay there 2 hours at a time - this leads me to beleive that the perch isn't too hot. No sign of mites. I noticed a bit of opaque in the eyes today, so I think he's getting ready to shed - we'll see.

i would caover part of the top of the screen top with a towl or something to keep in some of the heat and humidity. I personally would say about 2/3 of the top should be covered.
Keep us updated on this. It is probly just a shed issue but check the water bowl and the shed skin once sheds and see if you see any little mites.

The first place I find mites is in the water bowl.

Found what I thought could be 2 mites in the bowl. I haven't seen a mite in so long that I couldn't tell if it was a mite or a speck of dirt. If he had mites I expected to see more than 2. I looked over him and the cage with a fine toothed comb and didn't see a single one other than what could have been a couple in the water bowl. I decided to go with the treatment anyway. Sterilized everything in the cage and treated him w/ some zoomed product - couldn't locate the provent at any pet stores in the area. Interestly enough, he is now hiding on the cool side and hasn't shown any interest in getting back in the water. Eyes are fully opaque and we're hoping for a good shed here in a few days.

Go to your local Walmart and buy a can of Equate Bedding Spray for about $4. Same as Provent A Mite minus instructions for reptiles. Use the same as PAM: remove animal/water bowl, lightly spray substrate, let dry completely 20-30 minutes, place animal/water back in, repeat in two weeks. Do not directly spray the snke. Given time to work it will kill all life cycles of mites including their eggs. Bill
-----
...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.