Whats the deal?

scottyy · 04-02-11, 12:05 PM

For all the Retic owners out there, does anybody know why they hate being sprayed with water, or even being soaked for that matter? I spray and soak my retic when she is in shed and for the humidity in her cage and she HATES it. When i put her in the tub for a nice soak she tried to avoid the water at first until she gave up and then just sat in the water. I know its just water and its not going to hurt her, but i dont think she knows it lol. just curious to see if there is a reason y they hate water.

stephanbakir · 04-02-11, 12:12 PM

All retics that i know of love being "misted" i don't know of any snake that likes getting sprayed, that being said, all retics that i have worked with love to soak when they are coming into a shed.
It may be a question of temperature, is your retics enclosure at the proper temperature? If so I would advise removing the "spray" part of the bottle and adding a screw top, and then leaving this bottle in the enclosure for a while prior to misting the snake, that way you aren't misting the snake with water that is too cold or too hot.
Also, if you have a temp gun, you can use that to check the water temperature in the tub your going to be soaking the snake in to make sure that it too isn't too hot or too cold.
I have never heard of a retic disliking water.

scottyy · 04-02-11, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

All retics that i know of love being "misted" i don't know of any snake that likes getting sprayed, that being said, all retics that i have worked with love to soak when they are coming into a shed.
It may be a question of temperature, is your retics enclosure at the proper temperature? If so I would advise removing the "spray" part of the bottle and adding a screw top, and then leaving this bottle in the enclosure for a while prior to misting the snake, that way you aren't misting the snake with water that is too cold or too hot.
Also, if you have a temp gun, you can use that to check the water temperature in the tub your going to be soaking the snake in to make sure that it too isn't too hot or too cold.
I have never heard of a retic disliking water.

well i make sure that the water is warm before i put her in the tub about the temp of a nice warm bath. well yea it is more of a mist, i suppose that was misleading. Its what you would use for hair or whatever. maybe i just got a weird retic?

stephanbakir · 04-02-11, 12:22 PM

I'm pretty sure its a temperature thing, i have never heard of a retic disliking water, try using a temp gun so that you are sure of the temperature instead of guessing, reptiles are very aware of temperature changes, even 1-2 degrees they will notice. A friends gecko is always in the spot that is about 85 degrees, he moved the stuff around inside the enclosure, and the gecko found a new location with the same temperature. I know geckos aren't snakes I'm just using it to explain.

scottyy · 04-02-11, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephanbakir

I'm pretty sure its a temperature thing, i have never heard of a retic disliking water, try using a temp gun so that you are sure of the temperature instead of guessing, reptiles are very aware of temperature changes, even 1-2 degrees they will notice. A friends gecko is always in the spot that is about 85 degrees, he moved the stuff around inside the enclosure, and the gecko found a new location with the same temperature. I know geckos aren't snakes I'm just using it to explain.

well i never really did an exact temperature of the water but i would guess it would be at least 80-85 at least. idk i will just set the mister under the heat lamp for a while and then try.

stephanbakir · 04-02-11, 12:36 PM

Just set the mister in the enclosure and leave it there, the temperature will equalise that way.
Temp guns are only 5-15 bucks and they are priceless when you keep herps.

stephanbakir · 04-02-11, 01:27 PM

Just set the mister in the enclosure and leave it there, the temperature will equalise that way.
Temp guns are only 5-15 bucks and they are priceless when you keep herps.

scottyy · 04-02-11, 02:42 PM

yea she still doesnt like being misted lol. i guess i got a weird snake

Lankyrob · 04-02-11, 02:44 PM

Our SD retic will strike at the water spray most days but then settle down - wouldnt say he LIKES being sprayed but he tolerates it after the original strike.

scottyy · 04-02-11, 02:55 PM

maybe she will learn to tolerate it because i like to spray her when she is in shed to kind of help. i also give her a good soak as well. she doesnt always strike at it though she just opens her mouth at it. she is young so maybe as she gets older she will learn to be ok with it

Lankyrob · 04-02-11, 02:58 PM

What level is te humidity day to day when she is not in shed?

Damion930 · 04-02-11, 05:28 PM

Mine would flinch at first when I would spray him now it doesn't faze him but I always try and make sure I don't just surprise him with it

maitre · 04-03-11, 06:42 AM

Try filling your spray bottle with hot water. If you fill the bottle with room-temp water and spray your own hand, you'll notice that it feels much cooler by the time it hits your skin. Your retic may just be reacting to the cool water when it hits him. Try the hot water thing. Oh, and if you spray him, try to do it gently. Perhaps angle your spray bottle up so when the droplets fall on him, it will feel more like rain?

I think the best way to understand why he is reacting poorly is if you put yourself in his skin. If you were hanging out somewhere, not bothering anyone, and someone came by and started spraying you with cold water, you probably wouldn't be too happy about it either haha

scottyy · 04-03-11, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lankyrob

What level is te humidity day to day when she is not in shed?

i try to keep it at about 60% an let it drop at night

scottyy · 04-03-11, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maitre

Try filling your spray bottle with hot water. If you fill the bottle with room-temp water and spray your own hand, you'll notice that it feels much cooler by the time it hits your skin. Your retic may just be reacting to the cool water when it hits him. Try the hot water thing. Oh, and if you spray him, try to do it gently. Perhaps angle your spray bottle up so when the droplets fall on him, it will feel more like rain?

I think the best way to understand why he is reacting poorly is if you put yourself in his skin. If you were hanging out somewhere, not bothering anyone, and someone came by and started spraying you with cold water, you probably wouldn't be too happy about it either haha

she didnt like that either. i try not to mist her head because that might make her more aggravated? idk