Scared of water

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joelysmoley

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So my woma python really freaks out when I go to put it in a tub of water. I have only tried this twice though, the first time to see how she would react and the second time was a shedding assistance (she managed to pull the rest off by herself). She sort of looks at it, then touches the water, then she freaks out about it and slithers away as fast as she can. I haven't been able to even put her all the way in.
Any suggestions as to why she does that?
And how could I improve this?
 
Your water is probably too hot or too cold, if it feels warm to you it's probably too hot for your woma. 26-30 degree water usually keeps them happy, and giving them something to hold on to/rest on can help keep them settled too. Some snakes just simply don't like getting wet, if you really need to give them a soak and don't want it freaking out too much, I suggest putting it in a tub with a lid and slowly filling it up with the snake inside. They might still try and get out as it rises but settle down pretty quick.
 
That's odd, my womas come over to see what I'm doing when I fill their water up. Is it still young? My only thought about Bering scared when you are filling is that it could be scared of the vibrations?
 
That's odd, my womas come over to see what I'm doing when I fill their water up. Is it still young? My only thought about Bering scared when you are filling is that it could be scared of the vibrations?

I think the OP is describing trying to give it baths rather than offering drinking water.

I always figured the freaking out came from the fact that water is something that a)they couldn't see; and b)was a different texture to what they were used to. So when they touch the surface, they flinch just the same as if something invisible brushed the back of your neck. Unless it is for a specific purpose, like assisting with a poor shed (slightly worrying that you have this with a Woma?), I don't really see the point of subjecting them to regular baths anyway. A lot of people on here say their animals "like" it but I don't know how any human could gauge what a snake "likes". That's a discussion for another thread maybe though.
 
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Oh for goodness sake - Womas are a desert species, stop fooling with the poor thing and let it use water as it wishes - to drink. Some snakes will enter water on their own terms when they want to - they're not children that need to be bathed every day.

Sorry to be so blunt about this, but it seems that our poor captives are subjected to so much overhandling and ignorant abuse by people who haven't got a clue about proper reptile husbandry.

Why do you need to "improve" such a response to water? If it doesn't like water to lie in, so be it.

Jamie
 
Woma's come from very dry parts of Australia. It is abnormal for them to go bathing.

They don't tend to have problems with shedding as they can cope with very low humidity. If you want to provide her with somewhere to soak or 'swim' you could give her a bigger bowl. But don't be surprised if she doesn't use it.
 
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Oh for goodness sake - Womas are a desert species, stop fooling with the poor thing and let it use water as it wishes - to drink. Some snakes will enter water on their own terms when they want to - they're not children that need to be bathed every day.

Sorry to be so blunt about this, but it seems that our poor captives are subjected to so much overhandling and ignorant abuse by people who haven't got a clue about proper reptile husbandry.

Why do you need to "improve" such a response to water? If it doesn't like water to lie in, so be it.

Jamie


Because liking this post isn't enough.
 
Oops my dyslexia must have been on overdrive, I read the post as when I go to put water in a tub hence my response lol.
 
My woma was soaked every month with her previous owner and did have a lot of shedding problems, i had to soak her a few times when i got her with sheds and tried to keep with her original routine but stopped the soak each month - she did not mind the water at all as guess she was used to it - but since stopping the soaks i have not had any issues with shedding so i dont see the need to put her into water if she doesnt need to especially being a desert snake.
 
There is zero need to get a woma to bathe merely for the sake of it. Quit stressing the poor animal out.
 
Sorry about the poor information, I only wanted to put her in the water because she didn't shed very well, it came off in pieces and I checked her over and there was no old skin left on her other than the tip of her tail, so I decided to try and soak her to help get it off and she freaked out about it, so I didn't put her in, but she managed to get the last bit off her tail later on. I don't give her baths nor am I purposely stressing her out.
But thank you for those that did give some good information on it.
 
Also this is only my first snake, so I'm not some experienced keeper, I was only asking for a little bit of help
 
If it is just a tail tip that needs removing....maybe next time try a wet sponge/cloth and gently rub the tail while holding the snake to loosen and hopefully remove the last bit of skin.

Can be a lot less stressful particularly if the animal does not have a liking for a full dunking.
 
Also this is only my first snake, so I'm not some experienced keeper, I was only asking for a little bit of help

Hi joely

my woma is my first also. first shed was great but second shed, about 2cms of tip of her tail remained.
She loves to be handles so as I did so, I dipped her tail in a small jar of tepid water..... sneaky. lol I did this about 3 or 4 times then with a tissues, applied a little pressure to remove the dead skin. She was none the wiser.

There is a very good thread on here somewhere that shows how to "bath" to help remove problem sheds but as womas are not too keen on water, I would maybe not use the full water method.
What you are trying to do it right though as dead skin should not be left on the animal as it can lead to more serious problems.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy your woma as much as I do.

p
 
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