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Why is my boa Soaking in water bowl?

D

denman

Patrick Bowen
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My Hog Island boa cross is soaking in water bowl daily ...

Now, I have examined her and she is not shedding or preparing to shed, and I really don't know what a "mite" looks like to see if she has mites..
but, she has so much "speckling" in her pattern that I just don't know...

Is there any sure way to find out if she does infact have mites ?
 
If she has mites you should see some little black things in the water that look similar to large flecks of black pepper. You can rub her down with a damp paper towel and then examine it to see if you find any black moving bugs on the paper towel.

Not mite related she could be soaking if the temps are too warm to try and cool off.
 
Mites move. Mites sometimes come off and float in the water. I've only dealt with mites once, a long time ago and I nuked them quickly, so I'm no expert.

She may be seeking moisture -- I don't know what sort of moisture content (humidity, substrate moistness) a B.c. should have, but if there's not enough in the enclosure the snake would seek it out.

The enclosure may be too hot and that's the coolest place. Watching her patterns of thermoregulation behavior is the best way to figure out what temps she wants.

She may be trying to hide. If she perceives the water bowl to be the best hiding spot, she'll take it. Make sure that there are a range of other hides (moister/dryer, warmer/cooler, bigger/smaller) and she'll show you what she wants by choosing her favorite.

Another thing I don't know about B.c. is whether it is easy to tell if they're about to shed. I have a hard time telling whether rosy boas are opaque, but other species are really easy. Keeping a log of when she sheds can be helpful -- just look back at the dates and see whether she's due for a shed. This is helpful for telling whether worrying about a food refusal is warranted, too.
 
To be safe, I am going to soak her as if she had mites. It's really the only way to be sure. Take everything out of her tank, clean and disinfect the tank, And REPEAT for 2 Days. I think it's safer this way.
 
Randall Turner said:
If she has mites you should see some little black things in the water that look similar to large flecks of black pepper. You can rub her down with a damp paper towel and then examine it to see if you find any black moving bugs on the paper towel.

Not mite related she could be soaking if the temps are too warm to try and cool off.
Click to expand...


^This ^

If you find any black specs on the white paper towel you just crush one or two with the back of a teaspoon and if it bleeds it’s a mite :(


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I soaked her for an hour in Betadine solution. No specs in the water and no specs on the paper towel . Better safe than sorry. The specs are all part of her natural pattern.
 
denman said:
I soaked her for an hour in Betadine solution. No specs in the water and no specs on the paper towel . Better safe than sorry. The specs are all part of her natural pattern.
Click to expand...


Sounds like it’s going into shed mode or it’s maybe too warm ?

I’d check the warm side surface temps ..ideally using a temp gun


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richardhind1972 said:
Some boas just like a soak in the bath [emoji7][emoji7]

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Click to expand...

I agree with Richard, I have one who seems to thank she is an anaconda (she isn't) and will soak for 2 - 3 days every time after she has been fed. She's been doing it now for about 10 years, and has no other problems. The other 4, housed very close together, don't do it and all are healthy.

So, of course check up on the mites, the humidity, the temps, the hides, all the other things that have been suggested, but if all else is well, you might just have a water loving snake. :D
 
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