I am concerned about my ball python. He constantly is sleeping in his water bowl. I do not thinks that this is a very healthy habit-long term exposure to water. I am not sure why he is doing this. I have a 60 watt heat lamp installed directly above his cage and the room temperature is 74-75 degrees F. Any thoughts?
I moved this to the Ball Python forum for you What are his temperatures and what type of thermometer are you using? What is the humidity level in his tank and what type of hygrometer are you using? How old is he and how long have you had him?
Maybe he just wants to be in his water bowl.. I'm seconding the humidity/temperature question. The humidity may be too low and he may be getting ready to shed. The water would help his shed come off.
I wouldn't be too worried. Some snakes just like to soak. Does he have a proper temerature gradient? Soaking is a snakes last line of defense against overheating. If he has mites, then soaking will drive the mites up to his head where they could get lodged in the scales around his eyes. You will see drowned mites in his bowl if this is the case. Give him an inspection just to be sure.
I suggest getting a digital dual thermometer/hygrometer. Lights tend to suck the moisture out of the air. He also could be getting ready to shed. First the monitoring and then you'll have a better idea. I pray to the Ball Python gods that you don't have mites. They suck.
watch to see if he's sort of like tilting his head up and back, and if he's breathing with his mouth open in conjunction with lifting/tilting his head unnaturally. my boss' ball started soaking in his dish for extended periods and then started with the tilting..it kept on for a couple of weeks and she figured he just wanted to do it but then it turns out he had a respiratory infection and since he hadn't eaten for over a month (he usually ate every week) she took a syringe and mixed slightly warm chicken broth with electrodyze (to rehydrate since she'd taken the bowl out) but he ended up drying and i'm NOT trying to freak you out here, just passing along what i know. i hope all is well. and like it's been said, the humidity could be too low or he may just feel like being there. just keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.
It's one thing to soak it's another to be constantly in the water bowl. I would check the humidity and temp in the cage. Get a smaller water bowl because over soaking is not good. And I would strongly recommend a trip to a good herp vet.
My Ball Python had a few mites and was doing the same thing yours is soaking in her water bowl all the time. The reptile store recommended Proventamite, it is a spray simular to a can of spray paint but a smaller can. You just remove the snake from it's enclisure and spray it as to cover all the bedding and any tank furniture log hides etc. let it dry real good about 30 min or so and put the snake back in and all should be good it will kill any larva or adults on the snake or in it's bedding.
I never had a BP soak like that, so I don't know anything about this topic, BUT I heard somewhere that BP's that soak for extended amounts of time in their water bowl can also develop blisters from soaking to long. Is this true?
It's not good to be constantly in the water bowl. My snakes soak every now and then but not like that. I've had one snake do that to me and it was because he had mites. At that time I didn't know what to look for unfortunately and he ended up getting sick and dying. I suggest buying Mite Killer anyway just in case. I always have some around now. If you remove them from the water bowl and they keep returning to it I think you have a problem. Whats the heat like in your hot spot? If it's too hot then he could be trying to cool off. But you said the room temp is 75. That might be too cool. I keep my room temp at 80-84. Hot spot at 91-94.
my room temp is 73-76 during the day and 70ish at night and the temps in my BP enclosures are perfect. so 75 can be fine.
I thought he meant that his enclosure temps were 75. I was gonna say that I've yet to see a source that has temps for BP's under 80 degrees.
