Posted by:
FR
at Wed Feb 5 12:50:37 2014 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by FR ]
Some individuals feed during shed, others don't. As your new, from what you said, your snake is soaking in the water bowl. Snakes only do that if they are dehydrated. Maybe you have a screen top, no secure shelters. A snake shelters where is entire body is not exposed to air. Tight burrows, tight cracks etc.
Once your cage is right, snakes my drink a little on occasion. Soaking is snake talk for, I am losing water to fast. Normally all you need is a cage with no air loss. and a water bowl to add humidity to the air and occasional drink.
Its not a fine line that's difficult to achieve. Its easy and can be done with all kinds of cages. There are all manner of tools to help with this, from adding a little moisture to the substrate, to having a moss box or tub. To simply spilling a little water in the cage with adding water. The key is to stop the humidity from leaving the cage.
Normally, if you heat a cage, UTH or lite, you also heat air. That air raises out of the cage and takes humidity with it. It basically drys the cage out. Much like a house heater does. If you "close" the cage to prevent air/humidity loss. It also allows you to use less electricity. to review, to soak is normal when a snake is dehydrated, whats best is, prevent it from being dehydrated. Remember, kings are not water snakes and have no affinity to water, but do require 50% humidity or slightly above. A normal house in winter, can have 3 to 10% humidity. which is why snakes(particularly kingsnakes) live in the ground where its humid. Best wishes
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