Hi! I just recently got this boa imperator. She’s 4 years old, and about 5 foot 2 inches. Last night was her second feeding with me, and both times I have found her in her water dish after walking away when she finished eating. Is this normal? My other boa doesn’t do this…
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Is it only after they eat or do they soak often?
Could just be a relaxing thing after a big meal, what does this boa eat? I know my boa likes the occasional soak but its more random rather than after every meal.
I don’t necessarily see anything wrong with it unless the boa is displaying active signs of pain or discomfort or if the boa soaks very often (always seen in the water bowl).
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She eats a medium rat. It’s every time she eats and sometimes after being handled. Idk I just found it weird…
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What are her temps and humidity?
It’s not uncommon for some snakes to seek the cool side after a meal. They’re regulating themselves. It could just be that that’s where the comfortable temp for them is. They can also dehydrate if kept too dry and they need to be hydrated to digest as well.
@tommccarthy probably knows the most on the behaviors I think so I’ll tag him and @eorr53 @lumpy as well
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I have noticed that they do like to do that sometime. I have two of mine now 6 that really love to do that. I would say, just make sure her humidity and temps are in range and everything should be completely fine. Some boas love to just sit in their water and others will choose to never even soak in their water once.
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Thank you!!! Her temps and stuff are good she just seems to like to soak and I haven’t ever had a snake that soaked this much before
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I would not worry about the boa soaking.
In the 49 years of owning boas, I have had some boas that loved soaking a lot. When a cage is set up with the right heat and humidity, boas know better than us what feels best for them.
Just one thing I do double-check if a boa soaks all the time. The boa may have mites. This mostly only happens with new boas bought at reptile swaps. Or feeding live food bought at swaps.
One reason why I only buy boas from people I trust. And I only feed frozen thawed rats.
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Mites crossed my mind to Tom!