Suri soaking

[spix14]

So my suri girl has been soaking a lot in the last few days. She's mite free, and the temps and humidity are fine. I'm keeping her on newspaper (typically I use forest bedding, but while newbies are in quarantine I like to use newspaper to keep an eye on poops and such) with a heating pad on one end, and hides on both the cool end and the warm end, as well as a couple of branches.

Would she prefer some fake foliage to the cave hides? She fits into them snugly, so I don't think they are too big. I haven't seen her go blue, but I suppose I could have missed it. Do BCCs usually soak? I haven't ever had a snake soak before, so I'm a bit worried. Can it hurt them if they spend too much time in the water bowl?

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constictor constrictor). Refers to "true" red tail boas such as the Guyana and Suriname locales.

	Suriname Redtail Boa Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor) from the locale of Suriname. Considered to be a "True" Red Tail.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[majkill]

They can start soaking a couple of days before they actually hit the blue.
If you're worried about stressing her out just cover the cage with a cloth.
There isn't a problem with them soaking for too long if they dry off once
in a while. It starts becomming a problem if the substrate is constantly
wet and they cant effectively dry off, which is usually how scale rot
starts off coupled with unhygenic surroundings(which im sure is not a
problem for you ).

[Hairless]

The only time I saw a boa spending time in water was to get relief from mites. He was a rescue. Even when I used to have water bowls large enough for my boas to soak in their enclosure, the most they ever did was crawl through it.

I don't use bowls large enough for a boa to get into in my enclosures and I don't think it is needed. A bowl large enough for soaking just creates a possible breeding ground for bacteria. The snake can drag a small amount of do do in the soaking bowl and later drink a higher concentration of a fast reproducing bacteria. I know there is 100+ care sheets that differ. If you want to use a soaking bowl....I would clean it daily.

Another reason a boa may soak is to seek refuge from heat. I just took my suris temp (just to say I did...but I knew what it would be since she is not digesting or about to shed) it was 76.4. This is very normal for her and she will feed aggressively from this temp. My suri uses the widest temp range of all my boas.

I would put bedding in the enclosure. I would also use inderect light for the day cycle. A window in the room can be enough light for a day cycle. Too much light isn't to their preference by my observation.

	Suriname Redtail Boa Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor) from the locale of Suriname. Considered to be a "True" Red Tail.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[spix14]

I am using indirect light already, actually. I figured a bright heat light would not be the best thing to put on a BCC, thus the reason for the heating pad. I will recheck her temps as well with a different thermometer, just to be sure that the one she's using isn't malfunctioning.

I don't know how I could really give her a smaller bowl, though. Soaking certainly isn't something I was aiming for, but she is so young that I don't know how I could really get much smaller with the bowl. She's not teensy or anything, but she's small enough to wedge herself in to any of the bowls I have on hand. Maybe if I put some bedding in it will help. I've heard that some boas like to burrow under the substrate, so that may be what she's wanting. I also worry about her thermoregulating properly with her spending so much time on the water bowl.

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constictor constrictor). Refers to "true" red tail boas such as the Guyana and Suriname locales.

[RioBravoReptiles]

Any Boa here that soaks for more than a couple of hours has the water bowl removed... and everything about the cage and privacy and temperatures and so on gets a triple-check. After a couple of days the water is reintroduced. Usually that stops that.
.
Caged Boas shouldn't be allowed to soak for extended periods.. IMO.

	In My Opinon IMO = In My Opinion and IMHO = In My Honest Opinion

[TKR Reptiles]

my boa soaks ALOT. he is mite free. temps and humidity are perfect. plenty of hiding space, and plenty of stuff to climb on and hide around. ive just noticed he loves to soak. my BP has never soaked. not once. unless she does it at night. which i highly doubt b/c she hates it when i soak her before she sheds sometimes. i think it is perfectly normal. ive have snakes of all different types that like to soak and some that didn't. i wouldnt worry too much about it.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks