• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Reptisafe water conditioner

I have always used tap. Once it sits in the bowl for several hours, the chlorine has evaporated. I only change my water 2 times a week unless there is poo in it.
 
If chlorine is a concern in your local water source, then use a water conditioner, or buy bottled water, but not distilled water. I use Reptisafe as a safeguard, although I don't believe our local water source is treated with chlorine. An 8 oz. bottle lasts about 5 months. I add about 7-8 drops to a 1 liter bottle of tap water and it is ready to use.
 
Bottled drinking water is the best choice. You don't want to use distilled water because it doesn't have the minerals in it that snakes need. I've heard that giving only distilled water can actually kill a snake, but don't have first hand experience. Even tap water is a better choice over distilled.
 
Even humans shouldn't drink distilled water. Bottled is fine if you're really concerned about your home water supply. I've always just used straight tap water with no conditioner. If you trust your tap water as your own source and you suffer no ill-effects from drinking it, then it's fine for snakes.
 
I've never had a problem using tap water, but some of the additives in it concern me. Chlorine will evaporate out, but there will still be residual levels, although tiny. Added fluoride is good for humans, but not good for snakes. And it won't evaporate out like chlorine (if I remember my chemistry, and I am a chemist, BTW). So, IMO, tap water will work, but bottled drinking water is the best choice.
 
I have a 22 year old Corn who's drunk tap water all his life and is in pretty rude health. If there's some sort of cumulative effect from the trace chemicals added to tap water (we have flouride in our water as well), in his case it seems to have had no appreciable effect within a Corn's natural lifespan. My 17 year old also seems fine with it.

Each to their own though - certainly there's no harm in using bottled. It just might be an unnecessary expense.
 
Most bottled waters are straight from the city water supply anyway, ie, Tap Water. And they are making a KILLING in proffits.
 
I use purified water I buy at the grocery store. It's $1 for a gallon and it lasts forever.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top