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Hatchlings drinking water

F

fyrstoppin

New member
Hello, I am a first time snake owner, so please bare with my dumb sounding question. I was told by the reptile store I bought my corn hatchling from to make sure that he stays hydrated. He told me to put him back in the plastic cup he came in with approx 1/4" of water in it and let him sit in it for a while. He said this will ensure he drinks. All the research I did before purchasing him and everything I have read on this site says to not handle him for a min of one week so he can become comfortable in his new home and to not stress him out. I have a water dish in the terrarium with clean water in it. Will he drink when he feels he needs to or should I put him in the water to ensure he drinks?
 
I've had Loki for 7 months and caught him drinking maybe 4 times? It's a very serene thing to watch IMO. but I don't stress over not seeing him drink.
 
My first snake drank after every feeding and inbetween...my female will come out and drink, and my new little one i have yet to see actually drink, but that doesn't mean he hasn't. i love watching them drink, it's cute lol.
 
I think the soaking in water is more commonly done after receiving one from shipping. Even then, I just make sure the water bowl is along a side of the cage so that they will find it whilst exploring.
 
I often soak snakes for a very short time after shipping. They usually drink very readily. It makes me wonder if, even though we rarely see a snake drink, going 24 hours without water is stressful for them.

If you're bringing a snake home from the pet store or breeder, though, I see no reason to soak it. A week of settling in, though, (without handling!) is very important, in my opinion.
 
Thanks for all the great info!! The water dish is next to the wall and I have seen him crawl on it. So he knows its there. I am not going to handle him for a full week.

Thanks again for all the great info.
 
I sometimes catch my snakes drinking. I've also noticed that one of my snakes is generally 'thirstier' than the others. Every time I go to put him back in his enclosure, he'll hang out of my hand and drink for a few minutes. I love to see my snakes drink; it's so cute to see their cheeks fill up with water!
 
Never seen my hatchling drink, but my partner says he's seen her with her head in the water before. Haven't been able to watch her as she runs away when she sees us coming so when my partner saw her he had to sneak in the dark.

Will she ever get comfortable with us watching her move around the tank?
 
Charlotte said:
How long would you recommend soaking? 5 minutes?
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When I unpack a hatchling, I will place it in a bowl of room temp water and see if it drinks. If it does, I let it drink its fill. If not, I remove it. I just float the whole snake- trying to get a hatchling to put its head in a bowl would not work very well!!
 
ladymagpie said:
Never seen my hatchling drink, but my partner says he's seen her with her head in the water before. Haven't been able to watch her as she runs away when she sees us coming so when my partner saw her he had to sneak in the dark.

Will she ever get comfortable with us watching her move around the tank?
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, I've had my corn since June and she still doesn't like to come out if I'm in the room, and will go back to her hide right away if I enter the room and she happens to be out. Corns are like people. Some I've heard are very friendly. Mine is very shy.
 
drink

after i play with my corns i always put them in around there water bowl every single one drinks while in my hand then let me go and go about there business its awesome:)
 
With new babies that don't know their water bowl, I'll spray a few droplets on the side and as the snake wanders he finds them. I'll also touch a droplet of water from my finger to its mouth sometimes. Once they know the water bowl they all seem to go after it as soon as I change it, ever other day to every 3 days. They will not drink old water, but they watch you, they know when you get that water bowl out, give it a good scrub and fill it with cool fresh water.
 
I've seen Cleo go over her water bowl (but getting wet at the same time) but I guess she must be drinking otherwise she wouldn't have survived 3 weeks without water. That's a good idea about droplets on the side though.
 
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