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Good source of water???

Maize411

Maize411

Hooked for life!!
I've been using regular tap water from the sink to mist/spray the tank for Maize and to put into her water bowl...I've been reading that some people use bottled water or buy water sanitizers (????) Am I wrong for what I've been doing? Can this hurt my snake? Which is the more affordable way to go then to make her water more healthy (buying bottles or buying a sanitizer?) I hope to hear some anwers quick because now this is worrying me since I read that tap water could have chlorine and ammonia and other things in it..please help me out guys...thanks.. :cry:
 
I know you did..sorry for the double posting...I just wanted to put it in the area that it kind of resembled the most...sorry again..I did read your answer and thank you :)
 
Well it looks like bottled water is going to be the way to go for me..I might go with Poland Spring...I have to look on the bottle and see what is says...other then that...anyone else out there using bottled water have any suggestions of a good bottled water to use?? and maybe some warnings of bad ones to use...
 
Should I buy an mist machine for Maize's vivarium or what that be to much humidity for her? :-offtopic
 
Use purified water, do NOT use distilled water.

The relatively cheap gallon bottles of purified drinking water work well, no need to get the expensive brand name stuff.
 
I use Reptisafe water conditioner because I've tasted the water that comes out of the faucet and I won't even let the dogs drink it.
 
If you have a local reptile society they could tell you if your local tap water is good or not. I use tap water with no problems but it's more pure than most cities water.
 
If the tap water in your area is healthy enough for YOU to drink, why wouldn't it be for a snake (that naturally lives in the wild)?

You can find out from the municipal office if your water is 'hard', or has high levels of any minerals or additives. You can also check with a store that sells fish as pets (if fish can swim in it, your snake can drink it).

If you choose to go the bottled water route, the store (or No-Frills) brand is perfectly fine. Unless you want to spoil your baby, then go for it! I live in a 'hard water' area, so we already get Poland Springs delivered. I give that to Nibblet since it's here.
 
i have always used tap water and my snakes are fine.... in fact one of them refuses to drink unless im holding him which is funny.... i know this coz i had a cam installed into the tank just to double check how often he drinks... and sure enough i need to hold him while he drinks the tap water.... this is worrying me a little but yeh tap water is fine.

sorry went off track a little bit there lol
 
Joolz68 said:
If the tap water in your area is healthy enough for YOU to drink, why wouldn't it be for a snake (that naturally lives in the wild)?
Click to expand...



From what I understand, it's mostly the Chlorine and Chloramines added to the tap (City) water that is harmful to reptiles. Well water can have issues with contaminants like: Iron, Hydrogen Sulfide Gas, Bacteria, Lead, Radium, Radon, inorganic arsenic and I wont get into the "Man Made" stuff that can link into the water supply. Now I'm not telling anyone to stop drinking there water (all though having it tested from time to time is a good idea), but I feel that a reptiles system can be more sensitive to it.
 
Joolz68 said:
I did say if the water IN YOUR AREA... :rolleyes:

You can check your water quality at this link (for U.S. Residents).
Click to expand...


Ok then, try this for example. Snakes in the wild would not be exposed to Bromodichloromethane, Chloroform or Dibromochloromethane. All of witch are "disinfection by-products" formed when chlorine or other disinfectants used to control microbial contaminants in drinking water react with naturally occurring organic and inorganic matter in water. And the known risk of these trihalomethanes are: Cardiovascular or Blood Toxicity, Cancer, Developmental Toxicity, Endocrine Toxicity, Kidney Toxicity, Gastrointestinal or Liver Toxicity, Neurotoxicity, Reproductive Toxicity, and Respiratory Toxicity. Now, I'm no water scientist guy so I got all this info from the site you listed. And this example was for the Hoboken Water Services. So again, I'm not saying you shouldn't drink the water. And I'm not saying that it will flat out kill your snakes, but with cheap alternatives why chance the health of our little charges?
 
Iron and Chlorine and Lead... OH MY!

I was comparing treated Tap Water vs. untreated water found in Nature (full of the contaminants we removed in the first place).

But, if we're going to nit-pick:
What water is ok?

There's Ground Water where Spring and Well water comes from. As long as there are no pollutants in the area (a chemical plant or a bear 'handling his bizness'), it's probably the healthiest option. This is the easiest FOR ME- open a bottle of Poland and pour. Before you buy bottled water, read the label and know where the SOURCE is.

There's Purified Water where MOST of the solutes (contaminants as well as the HEALTHY minerals found in natural water) are removed. This can cause a multitude of physical problems for HUMANS, so snakes (that needs calcium) shouldn't drink it unless you ADD the minerals a reptile needs back in. This is where you would use supplements. I'm not good with measuring and testing first thing in the morning (when I change the water bowl), so not a great option FOR ME.

There's RO (reverse osmosis) Water, which is a type of Purified water (see above). If you don't have to pay for water (see Disadvantages), it might be an option. But it's part of my utilities, so not a good option FOR ME. Then you factor in start-up costs, replacement filters and membranes, service (see above link under cost)... the cost involved to maintain an effective system becomes prohibitive FOR ME.

There's Distilled Water- a.k.a. Purified Water (see above).

Finally, the Raw Water found in Nature, that a snake would have to drink if it didn't have a wonderful owner like me- NOT FOR ME.

Feel free to try any of the above. Only you know what's best for your pets.
 
antsterr said:
If you have a local reptile society they could tell you if your local tap water is good or not. I use tap water with no problems but it's more pure than most cities water.
Click to expand...

I agree. Not all tap water is created equal. I use tap water that has been dechlorinated with NovAqua, which is safe for all pets and even people (if accidentally ingested). It just removes the chlorine and chloramines. I don't have ammonia in my tap water, so no need to worry about that.
 
Joolz68 said:
I was comparing treated Tap Water vs. untreated water found in Nature (full of the contaminants we removed in the first place).
Click to expand...

At what point? I must have missed that part. :rolleyes:
 
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