Looing for bath time tips

[poccodiablo]

Okay just a few questions I have about bathing.

1. When giving baths what should the temp be?
2. How long is needed to help with a shed? (e.g. min/hours)
3. Do snakes even like water?
4. Does "Shed Aid" help or is it crap?
5. How has others made it a pleasurable experience for there corns?
6. What are normal reactions in the bath tub? (e.g. what should I expect him to do)

This is a 7mo. old corn and he's just come out of the blue so he's going to shed in the next 48 hours. At the moment its nose bleed dry here in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, and I need alternatives. I have offered humidity boxs in the past and my guy just isn't using them.

Thanks in advance
Jeff Robertson

 

[pinatamonkey]

1. about lukewarm
2. if you're putting the snake in water I wouldn't do it for more than a few minutes...
3. Mine don't seem to.
4. I don't think it's any better than plain water
5. I don't soak my snakes...more later
6. When I've put them in the water, they flail around.

Instead of soaking when one of my snakes is having a bad shed, I've found putting the snake in a rubbermaid container with a damp washcloth on the bottom works well for loosening the skin. It also is less intensive...you can sit the container on the coffee table and watch tv for a half hour, or whatever, without having to keep an eye on the snake the whole time.

 

[Rachel]

1. lukewarm, it should feel slightly cool when you test it. (ony put about 2 inches of water in)

2. Depends on your snake. If he seems to enjoy being in the bath (like my 2yo) then I leave him in for about 20 mins-half an hour. %-10 mins for the others who don't enjoy it as much.

3. Some do, some dont.

4. I agree with Pinata...

5. Introduce them slowly, don't just throw them in and leave them!! If they seem distressed take them out. I sometimes put bits of wood and plastic plants in with them. that way I clean the accessories and my snakes have more fun, 2 birds one stone kinda thing.

6. Some will just swim around and be ok with it, others will try frantically to escape. If thats the case then use the humid box that Pinata suggested.

Hope this helps!

 

[Filovirus]

I've occasionally giving my corn a bath.. sometimes for a bit of exercise and a couple of times to help with shedding cos she seemd to be taking a long time to actually shed once she's been blue and cleared up... so to answer your questions

1. again a luke warm.. so if you are just using the cold tap, let the water stand for a bit to at least come up to room temp

2. on both occasions it was dictated by her... from 1 to 5 minutes
3. mine has no problems in water. even swims down to the bottom

4. never heard of it (in in the UK) and never needed it.. probably crap

5. give her a rubber ducky to play with... ??

6. when i think it was too cold she was out very quickly, but when the temp was warmer she seemed ok for a bit.. swimming and floating.. although i need to bigger tank to do this in..


hope it helps..

Bob

 

[Colleen]

I agree with everbodies answears 1 and 2

All but 1 of my 11 snakeys love to swim. I have always provided a shed box so I really can't say if swimming them helps although I have never had one with a bad shed. We have a ceramic hide that we put in the center of the tub and we put them on it so they decide if they want a dip also they have a place to rest. I have found that some of them like it best when I turn the bright over head off and just use night lights. I think that feel more secure to wander around. Also if you have city treated water use water conditioner. We forgot once and they went nuts! As for how long I let them in, well if I'm in a hurry about 5mins. long enough to poo! But usually we let them in as long as they want. They let you know by trying to climb out when their ready.

Hope that helps
Colleen

PS You'll know if they don't like it. Mine streaks around the tug like a maniac! BUt give it a few tries before giving up sometimes they just need to adjust then they like it.

 

[tlhsherry]

I started giving my snakes baths when one of them had a problem shed. It was stuck about 4 inches past her head. I let her swim for a few minutes and put her back in her viv and she finished the shed in about 30 minutes.

I have gotten to where I let my snakes 'swim' for a few minutes every four or five days. I think it is a matter of getting used to. Seth, who I have had about 4 months doesn't get upset or try to escape, and seems to enjoy it. Silk, who I have had only a few weeks, is still adjusting.

I fill a repilte ranch with water and let it set for a couple of hours, then get them out for a swim. I let the snakes dictate the amount of time they spend in the water, but have to admit when Seth had a problem shed, I tried to keep her there for at least 5 minutes. This gives them time to poo and a little exercise.

(I re-read this, I normally fill the reptile ranch with about 2-3 inches of water).

Mine don't seem to get stress about it. It give me a good opportunity to examine each of them and from what I have read, the exercise is good for them.

I know I did not answer your questions in order, but I don't have them in front of me.

Hope this helps!
Tiffany