dumerils boa and water ????

[spankygaaarge]

we just put our dumerils boa in the bath, first he sank then freaked out an took off out of the tub, is this species a lover of water ?:sorry:

[infernalis]

http://www.thamfriends.com/mat.jpg


Enjoy the forum!

[citysnakes]

dumerils are terrestrial, burrowing animals that live in a pretty dry climate. i doubt that they would appreciate being thrown in a tub filled with, more likely than not, water with a temperature hot enough to cook it. what did you expect it do do? reach for the soap?

[shaunyboy]

hello and welcome,next time you have an idea about your dumerils mate run it by the forum as there will most likely be someone here that can point you in the right direction.
cheers shaun

[Lankyrob]

Would you take a fish outside to play in the garden?? NO. Why would you put a snake in the bath???

Apologies if i am being harsh but i cant fathom your thinking behind it?

[marvelfreak]

Hello and welcome! What was the reason for putting your Dumeril boa in the tub of water? I know some people will soak them to help with problem sheds, but the water should never be deeper than half way up the side of the snake. This way it can soak and relax. (without the freak out) How deep was the water and what was temp? P.S. like to see some pics of your snake.

[Hillsberry]

Welcome. All I know is my California Kingsnake does that. Its like a fish out of water. Lol.

[marvelfreak]

is this species a lover of water ?:sorry: The only snake i can think of that truely love being in water are Anacondas.

[infernalis]

Nerodia Sipedon - Eastern water snake.

Garter snakes are semi aquatic and excellent at fishing.

[Will0W783]

My retic likes to bathe, as long as she can touch the bottom. I put her in the tub to help soften sheds, as she had a history of bad sheds before I got her, but is getting progressively better. Any snake that I know of, except for water snakes, freak out if they can't touch the bottom when in water. In the wild, they swim across lakes and rivers as quickly as they can, so they want to swim across your tub and out. Next time, only put a few inches of water in, so it comes up about halfway up the sides of the snake, and Dumeril's are pretty dry climate snakes so it shouldn't need to be soaked at all.

[shaunyboy]

as per my vets instructions i have bathed carpets with respiritorys to unblock nostrils to help the snake breath (you have to submerge the snakes head for a few seconds at a time).i also had to do this for 2 weeks before my vet reverse flushed one of my snakes nostrils,due to a bit of shed stuck up it.i use tepid water like when bathing a baby.it really does help the snake.

australian water python liasis mackloti is australia's most aquatic python.you usually find it around freshwater lakes,swamps,marshes,lagoons,rivers and man made dams.they are not fully aquatic as they also occur in forests and woodlands.

the white lipped python leiopython albertisii is also a water loving python.its found in rain forests,swamps and grass lands near water.
cheers shaun

[spankygaaarge]

the reason we put him in the bath was to help with his shed, the water was luke warm NOT hot, and was maybe a little deeper than 5 inches, we've read in books this will help with shedding, but we wont try this again.......

[Will0W783]

Ah, in that case bathing does help, but since he apparently didn't like it, next time you can try wetting a pillowcase with warm water and put the snake in the pillowcase. Tie the end up and place it in the warm cage. You can leave the snake in overnight and it will help him rub off his stuck shed. Alternatively, you can put a damp towel in the bottom of a Rubbermaid bin and put the snake in on top of the towel and put the whole thing in the snake's cage to keep it warm and leave him in there overnight.

[citysnakes]

luke warm may not feel hot to you but to your snake, the water may hot enough to do damage. next time you have to soak your boa, use a digital thermometer to measure the temperature of the water before you put him inside it. if you soak him in a tub with a locking lid and 85 degree water your soakings should go smoothly from now on. i wouldnt recommend the pillow case method but placing a towel on the bottom of the tub is useful.

[shaunyboy]

i was not giving you a hard time mate.you did the right thing you researched it then got down to helping your snake.i have some carpets who love the bath and others who hate it.as long as the temp of the waters ok then you will help a retained shed by bathing it.i usually let the snake wrap round part of my forearm then gentle ease it into the bath.for bigger snakes my wife gives me a hand.you would have to check up for dumerils,but a moss box may be of some help.we use sphagnem moss over here.we get a tub with a lid make a hole big enough for the snake to climb in the box.pack the box with damp moss and its ready for use.just pop it in your tank and the snake will climb in.if the moss dries out just give it a light spray with water to get it back moist.
cheers shaun

[Lankyrob]

Sparky - i would like to extend my apologies for my somewaht sarcastic comments above. Unfortunately there are so many people online "mucking about" with snakes and posting pictures/vidoe etc on the internet that i shamefully put you in that group without knowing the full situation.

As others have said when bathing it is best to let the snake be able to reach the bottom so that they feel more secure. Hope you get your snake back to full health and that there are no hard feelings.

Best wishes

[infernalis]

That was a very nice thing to say Rob...

[Lankyrob]

Always best to admit when you get something wrong - we all make mistakes but not many people take responsibility for them,

[Will0W783]

we all make mistakes but not many people take responsibility for them:yes: I totally agree. That's one of the limitations of internet communication- it's hard to read someone's tone or experience or history or anything online.

[infernalis]

After a while you get to read into who people are if they post frequently enough.

The diversity of personalities keeps things interesting.

[Lankyrob]

Too true Wayne - as it was sparky's first post it probably didnt help my assumptions - not that i am trying to excuse myself tho - assumptions are the mother of all evil and all that!! As a disabled person i should no better than to assume - i hate it when people do it to me!

[spankygaaarge]

thanks so much guys, i think i'll try the "towel in the tub" next time..........

Terri :D

[spankygaaarge]

thanx guys, its good to know that there are people who know what they are talking about instead of people who work in a pet shop an "think" they know, giving me contradicting information, i'm sure 'Spanky' appreciates it too........... :D

[spankygaaarge]

i appreciate the appology, but i understand some people arnt really serious about this hobby, but i really do want whats best for 'Spanky' and i think the next "bright idea" i get i will run past you guys first.............. :)

[infernalis]

we got some good people here.

[marvelfreak]

:)aaaaaa Group Hug!:) LOL Just playing.

[spankygaaarge]

i think i chose the right place to help me get it right, nothing worse thinking your doing something good an then realising your doing more harm.......:D

[Will0W783]

I doubt you did him any real harm, other than ticking him off a bit. And a ticked-off snake is less than fun to deal with, lol. But in the future, the towel in the tub method works very well. I've used it twice in the past and both snakes were able to get their shed off that way, save for a few small pieces I had to help them work off with my hands. If Spanky is normally having trouble shedding though, it means you need to raise the humidity in his cage, at least during shedding time. If you have him in an aquarium-type cage it can be tricky, but usually covering half of the screen with tinfoil and adding a second water dish directly under the heat lamp works well, or misting every day lightly. If he's in a Vision, Boamasters, or Boaphile-type cage, then a light mist every other day should suffice. Dumeril's boas are usually fairly temperate climate snakes and don't need near the humidity that some other boids do. Best of luck with him and glad you chose Ssnakess.com for all your scaly advice needs! :)

[spankygaaarge]

thanx willow, we have him in an Aquarium type cage , i never thought to cover half the screen, we mist every day sometimes twice but it just never gets very humid, but i'll definately try the tinfoil, i've just put a moist towel in his cave (which is under his heat lamp)he's due to shed this week so hoping all goes well this time round..............

[spankygaaarge]

YYYYYYaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy.......... spanky's shed went really well, eventhough it was in two pieces, it was a hell ova lot better than it has been, thanx for tips we are all greatful......... :freakedout:

[infernalis]

Thanks for sharing the news. well done.

[Lankyrob]

Glad to hear it Spanky.