Bathing

[Hollis_Steed]

I hate for those of you who have been on the forum for ever to have to repeat the same old stuff all over again...therefore I did a search and I can't seem to find any threads on this so I'm asking...does anyone give their snakes a bath? I know there are posts about rinsing in water but does anyone use any kind of a soap solution? What have been the advantages/disadvantages??

[Holly]

I would assume it would be fine to give him a bit of a bath. For my geckos when they have shed issues or walk through their food I line a Kritter Keeper or large tupperware with air holes with paper towel and put about 1/4-1/2 inch of room temperature water. They happily splash around until the shed/food comes loose then I put them back in their tanks.

It would probably work for a snake as well.

[ConcinusMan]

Never really found it necessary unless they get crusties on their cloaca or have trouble shedding. Other than that, why? I mean, it just seem like a good way to traumatize and stress your snake, especially if the temperature isn't exactly the same as the snake at the time.

Forget it. And forget the soap. Snakes don't need it and it could be potentially harmful if it gets in their nose or mouth. If they get poop on them or something, wipe it off with a damp rag and forget it. Their skin is non-porous, water-tight, they don't sweat, I mean, what's the point?

If your water dish is the right size, your snake will bathe when it wants to.

[guidofatherof5]

My large groups will at times need a bath. They pile in the hide and poop on each other.
I have also at times simply given individual snakes a warm bath as a hopeful comfort.
From their reaction I think they enjoyed it. I use this as bonding(only word I could think of) time.
Another chance for them to see I'm not going to hurt them.

[drache]

never with soap
when I do feel the need to clean a snake I might add a squirt of stresscoat to the bathwater; it's a tap water detoxifier with aloe I've got left over from my fish keeping days

[Hollis_Steed]

Yeah, this is kind of what I was getting at. Sometimes when they slither through their own mess I have been taking a damp cloth and wiping them down with it. I was just curious if I was ok to be using soapy water or one of those pop up wet wipes or some such a thing.


My large groups will at times need a bath. They pile in the hide and poop on each other.
I have also at times simply given individual snakes a warm bath as a hopeful comfort.
From their reaction I think they enjoyed it. I use this as bonding(only word I could think of) time.
Another chance for them to see I'm not going to hurt them.

[drache]

when they're just poopy, all I do is hose them down under the kitchen faucet

[guidofatherof5]

Yeah, this is kind of what I was getting at. Sometimes when they slither through their own mess I have been taking a damp cloth and wiping them down with it. I was just curious if I was ok to be using soapy water or one of those pop up wet wipes or some such a thing.

I don't think any chemicals are needed at all.
Water should do fine.
I would be afraid they might drink some of the soapy water and I'm not sure I would trust any chemical in those pop-ups for my snakes.
They were made for human use, I'm sure some of the chemicals in them are toxic to us but not as toxic due to our size.
Good old water is the way to go.

[Selkielass]

As Abby is mys sons pet, I take care to see that she is as clean as possible.
This product; JurassiMite™ Mite, Flea & Tick Control for Reptiles - Supplements & Medications - Reptile - PetSmart (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754867)
'JurassiMite reptile spray' is what I've been using. I spray her down every few days or when she is poopy, then wipe her with a damp cloth after a few minutes. It's aive ingredient ' sodium lauryl sulfate' is the same detergent you find in shampoo and facial washes, so it works well to get her nice and clean. (Smells sweetly of cloves too.)

[Hollis_Steed]

As Abby is mys sons pet, I take care to see that she is as clean as possible.
This product; JurassiMite™ Mite, Flea & Tick Control for Reptiles - Supplements & Medications - Reptile - PetSmart (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754867)
'JurassiMite reptile spray' is what I've been using. I spray her down every few days or when she is poopy, then wipe her with a damp cloth after a few minutes. It's aive ingredient ' sodium lauryl sulfate' is the same detergent you find in shampoo and facial washes, so it works well to get her nice and clean. (Smells sweetly of cloves too.)

Great! Thanks. I'll see if they carry it, or somehting like it, at our local Petsmart.

[Kevinh583]

I like to let my snake swim in the tub now and then. I figure it is good exercise and a little feeling of being back in the wild. It also serves the purpose of a bath, no soap involved though. And in reality it probably just stresses her out and I'm the one getting the enjoyment out of it, but I don't think about that.

[guidofatherof5]

I think in the right setting would relieve some of the stress. If you used the same size container every time and scheduled the bath/cleaning time. I big bath tube may be a bit too big. With a small container you can hold the snake while it settles down.
If it's luke warm your snake should calm down after a few minutes. Then if you need to do any scrubbing you can get that done. Many of my big radixes relax right away and seem to tolerate/like the attention.
Giving them the attention is in my opinion therapeutic(to us)

[adamanteus]

Never with soap or anything else 'man-made'..... water's just fine.