What to get?

[Corey209]

Originally Posted by EmbraceCalamity

I'm no snake expert, so someone else here can verify or negate this, but I don't believe snakes soak to cool off - literally or figuratively. I'm pretty sure they do it for moisture needs, hence them doing it when they're shedding. Snakes can thermoregulate just fine without a dish of water. And you said so yourself that it could have cooled his temps and made him sicker, so why you're confused about it being a bad idea is a mystery to me. To my mind, it would make much more sense to keep the water in the moderate temperatures so that the snake could use the water without it raising or lowering its body temperature too much, especially if you know it's sick.I'm pretty sure that's not what he said.

~Maggot

I don't think it's a bad idea for a healthy snake. I didn't think about the water dish being on the cool side at the time while my snake had RI which in that case was a bad idea but could have been avoided completely. If it is true they don't use the dishes to cool off then I will make sure to move it into the warmer side.

[EmbraceCalamity]

Originally Posted by Corey209

I don't think it's a bad idea for a healthy snake. I didn't think about the water dish being on the cool side at the time while my snake had RI which in that case was a bad idea but could have been avoided completely. If it is true they don't use the dishes to cool off then I will make sure to move it into the warmer side.

My suggestion that it seems like a bad idea is based on the fact that snakes sometimes soak when they're in shed, and if you allow it to get "cold," then when they go to use it, it's going to lower their body temps, even if they don't need to be lowered.

Why exactly would a snake soak when it's "irritated"?

~Maggot

[Corey209]

Originally Posted by EmbraceCalamity

My suggestion that it seems like a bad idea is based on the fact that snakes sometimes soak when they're in shed, and if you allow it to get "cold," then when they go to use it, it's going to lower their body temps, even if they don't need to be lowered.

Why exactly would a snake soak when it's "irritated"?

~Maggot

If the skin is irritated like with mites or burns and that's true, I'll readjust my cage tomorrow. Even if it isn't bad for the dish to be on the cold side it wouldn't hurt to have it on the warmer side so that by chance the snakes temps don't drop.