I’m super anxious about my first clutch that hasnt hatched yet, so to keep myself busy I started going through everything I should do once they hatch, watching videos and reading I noticed they all talk about feeding after first shed, but none mention water, can’t they or they probably dont need it?
I can’t find anywhere if you can or can’t put a water bowl in that stage where the hatchlings are together on a container with damp paper towels until their first shed, I saw many don’t add the water bowl until each has shed and they go to their separate enclosures for their first meal so idk if it causes any negative impact for them to drink water before the first shed/meal or it’s just useless, feels awkward having them for a week or two without water
Any crucial tip you guys think a first-time breeder should know? I’ve been researching abt snakes for years but you know, there’s always something new that comes up during the practice so any tips are highly appreciated
Its something I have noticed too.
Whenever all of my snakes are out of their eggs I get them on a damp paper towel with a shallow water bowl. I think it may be because some smaller species are at risk of drowning themselves, but idk I’ve seen it done with larger species too. But it might also be because of the fact that they are in a humid enough environment that their hydration needs are met.
Whatever the case I haven’t had any negative side effects or bad incidents with just adding the shallow water dish with my hatchlings, I do it just to be safe and make sure they all are actually getting the hydration they need. Its still crucial to closely monitor them in the following days after hatching to make sure they are all ok whether or not they have access to standing water.
Great, thanks! I’ll surely leave something shallow, idk if damp paper towels do the trick for shedding, maybe because they’re so young? my adult bp soak for days and sometimes a full week when they’re about to shed so I’ve associated water bolw = perfect shed
As far as I’ve done it I’ve never had shedding issues with damp paper towel for hatchlings👍
Just keep in mind that damp paper towels soil very quickly, especially if its being used for multiple hatchlings. You’ll probably expect to be cleaning them out daily or every other day.
The general reasoning for lack of water dish (and also why they’re not fed immediately after hatching) is because they are absorbing the remaining yolk, which provides both hydration and nutrients. Many snake species can also go without water for extended periods completely unharmed. Putting a water dish in isn’t going to hurt anything, but it’s also not necessary.
A lot of young snakes just aren’t very bright…
One breeder learned not to leave q-tips in as egg holders because a hatchling tried to eat one. More than one breeder has probably learned the hard way with adding a water bowl.
If I ever add a bowl to mine it is always very, very shallow, or filled just enough for a sip in case the snake can’t get out.
There’s also the egg absorption mentioned by noodlehaus. We’ve seen those big bellys full of soup.
If you’ve ever owned tropical lizards as well… A lot of them drink droplets off the decor or walls. That’s what I expect my hatchling snakes to do. The only reason I put bowls in now is to up the humidity so there is a bit of condensation on the tubs. And even when placed in their own enclosures, they still don’t get a full ‘soaking size’ bowl until later on. Just a small one.
thank you so much! I had an idea about the first meal but I didn’t think about hydration coming from the yolk too, thinking about it makes sense haha
I never thought about the drowning risk, thanks a lot for the input! I’ve always wondered why so many ppl give their snakes small water bowl
I was amazed by the Q-tip anecdote, who would have thought XD They are pretty much creative
I’ll be misting them in case they need more humidity then 
My adult blood python once tried to eat a cage liner, so… it’s not always a hatchling thing, snakes can just get really dumb about food in general sometimes. 
I have a fuzzy hanging cat scratcher toy that is forbidden to be within a 5ft radius of one of my girls. She shot out of her enclosure and wrapped it.
Even the adults make questionable choices sometimes.
As a side note: we do make sure there are no other animals present in the area at snake feeding time. We just needed to move this one toy for a bit and left it near the reptiles in their room so it wouldn’t get forgotten. Now it’s an ongoing joke because we know at least one cat and one snake will use it.
I’ve never used water bowls in a hatching bin in over a decade. They’re still absorbing the yolk so they’re not going to drink much if at all anyway. There’s no need for it.
My boa once struck and coiled the paper towel roll core I use as a makeshift snake hook to tap her down. But she figured out it was an imposter and let go pretty quickly. And in her slight defense, it might have come into contact with a defrosted rodent, so it may have actually smelled like food. But still.
to think that during the week one might struggle feeding them actual rodents, only for them to want Q-tips XD
reminds me of the time one of my young bp was super feisty during feeding and I had to use an actual towel to distract him and not get bitten so I could grab the thawed mouse again and he just went for the towel and spent like 15 minutes constricting it until he realized it tasted bad XD meanwhile I kept waiting with the thawed mouse like seriously man how’d you survive in the wild hahaha