Should You Bathe/Soak Your Ball Python?
Short answer: No.
Ball pythons are not a species that are seen regularly soaking in their water bowls. With that in mind, if your ball python is often seen soaking in their water bowl it is most likely a sign of something incorrect in their husbandry or something wrong with the animal.
The top three reasons a snake may willingly soak in their water bowl are:
Temperature is too high and they are trying to cool down
Humidity is too low and there is not enough moisture in the enclosure to help them shed
Mites are under their scales and sucking their blood. Mites can eventually kill your snake if not taken care of. It may take a couple weeks of treatment to completely eradicate the mites
When can you bathe/soak you snake?
When they are having trouble with a bowel movement, warm water can help loosen their muscles and pass their waste more easily. If they have problems pooping in general, the main reasons could be you are feeding them too large of meals or the snake is dehydrated.
When your snake has a stuck shed and it is too late to prevent.
Most ball pythons panic in water and do not like it. Some snakes may soak in their water bowls more than others. See more in this video.
