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MissCat
Fully Grown Royal
1971 Posts |
 Posted - 23/10/2009 : 20:42:08
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Thought I would share how i bathe my royals with you all.
Firstly, i very, very rarely bathe them. I would only do so if the skin was definately not coming off of it's own accord, after trying a moss/moist hide.
Bathing the royal can stress them out, and as such i have no desire to stress out my babies so I would only do this as a last resort.
"It" decided to shed today, I must have missed him going blue because it came as a surprise to me when I looked in his faunarium to see him in a very sorry state (not looking too unlike Ra did when I first came here).
Because I missed him going blue, i did not have a chance to pop in a moss hide, and as I am away all weekend and not able to monitor him I opted for a quick bath.
I do this in the bath so escaping is not an issue.
here's what I did.
1)Gather everything needed (towel, thermometer, cotton buds, camera lol)
2) Shut and LOCK bathroom door
3) Rinse out bath thoroughly with warm water to remove any chemical residues (also aides in warming the tub up a little bit so the water does not cool too fast)
4) Pop in plug, run the water (cold first, topping up with hot) until water level is about the same depth as the thickest part of the snakes body.
5) TEST the temperature of the water using a DIGITAL thermometer
I have the initial temperature at about the same as the hot end of the living quarters.
6) Pop snakey in the bath.
The water helps to soften the skin, and helps it come away by itself at first.
If the snake starts to get particularly stressed, I make an island in the MIDDLE of the bath from a towel. On this occasion "It" didn't want to use the whale island lol.
7) I leave the snake in the bath, under constant supervision for no more than 15 minutes or until the water temp drops to 29*c, whichever occurs first (in my house these instances pretty much occur together). HOWEVER, If i felt the snake was getting TOO stressed, I would remove them. I haven't had to do this so far.
8) With a towel on my lap, pop the snake on the towl and fold it over, allow the snake to gently slide through the towel. This aids the removal of more skin. I do apply VERY SLIGHT pressure as i hold the snake through the towel.
*It is important not to pick or pull at the skin if it does not come off in this manner,or hold too hard (thereby scrubbing the snake, in essense).
"The best thing about baths, Mummy, is the snuggles in the towl afterwards"
9) On this occasion "It" had one retained eyecap. He's a darling and I didn't need to restrain him a great deal to gently swab over with a damp cotton bud, which removed it fine. Didn't get a pic of that though as i was in need of both hands lol.
10) Job done 
EDIT:
Hullo, I hope no one minds, but I am adding these quotes from a different thread as I think they are appropriate to this thread:
thread copied from:
http://www.theroyalpython.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3652
quote:
Originally posted by Blackecho
Its a tiny snake in a huge bath, you could try in a washing up bowl or something smaller.
Some snakes just don't like water.
quote:
Originally posted by Danny Action1
Try useing a R.U.B and then cover so he or she is in the dark
quote:
Originally posted by MrLee
The 1st time I bathed Reg I used the bath, Dont think he was angry but he wasn't happy.
Next time I used a Pyrex lasagne dish haha dont think he wanted to get out!
I'd keep hndling the Royal though to help its confidence, weather I'm right or not though I dont know.
I added these quotes to highlight that a BATH is not always the best thing to bathe a snake in and that other things (like washing up bowls, rubs and lasagne dishes) can be used. though the basic method is the same.
And I would also like to double add the a bath is only something I do as a LAST RESORT. I try moss hides first. |
Edited by - MissCat on 14/02/2010 10:19:12 |
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Blackecho
Royal Python Admin
United Kingdom
11327 Posts |
Posted - 23/10/2009 : 21:56:42
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| Excellent post, have made it a Sticky if you don't mind. Not sure whether in here or the 'Health' section is more appropriate? |
 
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MissCat
Fully Grown Royal
1971 Posts |
Posted - 23/10/2009 : 22:17:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Blackecho
Excellent post, have made it a Sticky if you don't mind. Not sure whether in here or the 'Health' section is more appropriate?
OO, erm, thanks lol.
No, i didn't know where to stick it either :s sorry |
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lee2308
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
2597 Posts |
Posted - 24/10/2009 : 01:19:59
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| great guide i would keep it here as i don't personally think it's a health issue and more will see it here. |
Members map-------Want to be on the map?
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boze
Yearling
United Kingdom
408 Posts |
Posted - 24/10/2009 : 13:10:33
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| Excellent post! |
0.1.0. Royal (Salmissra)
0.0.1. Western Hognose (Spiderman)
quote:
Originally posted by ruxpin64
I'm so happy I may lay on my back and pee in the air like a baby!
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spor
Fully Grown Royal
United Kingdom
1226 Posts |
Posted - 24/10/2009 : 14:31:12
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Nice one cat. good detail and pics. also very cute. |
0.4.0 Royal Python
1.0.0 Pastel Royal
0.1.0 Spider Royal
1.1.0 Carolina Corn Snake
1.0.0 Normal Stripe Corn
1.0.0 Yellow Bellied Turtle
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sexychef
Royal Python Moderator
United Kingdom
692 Posts |
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james200789
Yearling
United Kingdom
183 Posts |
Posted - 31/12/2009 : 13:02:24
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| excellent post. used it this morning to bathe sid because he is "holding too much water" as the vet said. he didnt go to toilet in the bath but when i picked him out and dried him off he went all over the bathroom floor lol |
1.0.0 Royal Python (Monty)
1.0.0 Western hognose(Fredo)
0.1.0 false water cobra(Suzy)
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n/a
deleted
53 Posts |
Posted - 05/01/2010 : 13:51:56
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| Great Post.Thank You. |
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ddm10
Yearling
United Kingdom
189 Posts |
Posted - 23/01/2010 : 22:48:28
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| Really good post, the few times I've had to bathe Drazen was after he had soiled himself. Do you think thats worth stressing him? I just dont want the pee to damage his skin or make it blister if I leave it. |
ROYAL PYTHON 1.0.0 |
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hiper2009
Yearling
United Kingdom
259 Posts |
Posted - 27/01/2010 : 12:13:42
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Great post  |
0.0.1 Royal Python Het Pied 100% CB10 - Chaos
1.1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa CB10 - Bow/Mayhem
0.1.0 Cornsnake Amel Het Motley CB10 - Fire
1.0.0 Cornsnake Caramel Het Motley CB09 - Whisky
1.0.0 Cornsnake Snow Het Stripe CB07 - Romeo - R.I.P
1.0.0 Super Golden Labrador Dog CB02 - Bailey
Wish List:
1.2.0 Royal Python - Pastel , Pinstripe , Lesser. |
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pfleming
Yearling
247 Posts |
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MissCat
Fully Grown Royal
1971 Posts |
Posted - 14/02/2010 : 10:20:03
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| I have added to the end of my original post as I felt that my edit was appropriate. I hope no one minds. |
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nok1888
Yearling
United Kingdom
314 Posts |
Posted - 18/09/2010 : 02:15:54
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| Great post/advice for me (im getting my first Royal in a couple of weeks). One thing to clear up though, Ive read many places that Royals like baths now and again, is this not true? I dont want to give the wee man any stress not needed (dont know what stress would be needed but you know what I mean lol). I understand the steps needed to help him shed if need be, its just the bath thing im not sure about now. Im inclined to believe you since after all this is THE royal python forum |
0.1.0 Royal Normal - Orlina Bodhi Lobsang
1.0.0 Royal Normal - Sedrick Rinzen Sonam
2.0.0 Cats 18 y/o - Monty, kitten - Dodger
2.0.0 Border Collie's 7 y/o - Jinky, 2 y/o - Chance
0.0.5 Goldfish - Haggis, Pookie, Oddball, Spongebob and Slimey (kids eh lol)
Strange creature, unknown species, wife likes to call it "teenage daughter"
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Penvers
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
9 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2011 : 17:45:54
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Hi, just brought my royal last month, taken first two feeds perfectly, and looks happy.
My question is; How will i know when he's ready to shed and what should i done to help him?
Also how often do royals normally shed there skin?
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Penv. |
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n/a
deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2011 : 18:00:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Penvers
Hi, just brought my royal last month, taken first two feeds perfectly, and looks happy.
My question is; How will i know when he's ready to shed and what should i done to help him?
Also how often do royals normally shed there skin?
Hi, you could have started your own thread with this topic - it's always a popular subject for discussion lol.
The first sign of shedding may be a dusty, floury appearance to your snake's skin. Sometimes their bellies can take on a pink tinge, though I've never seen this so far with my three. The snake may be off its food (though not always!) It may seem grouchy, and even hiss (though, again, not always.) The second, and often more noticeable sign, is the eyes becoming opaque and blue. This lasts a few days, and then, all of a sudden, the snake returns to normal and you think, omg, he's shed and I never knew! This 'clear' phase lasts another couple of days, or more - there's no hard and fast rule, and then he will shed (usually in the dead of night when he knows you're not watching, though I've been lucky enough to see my lad shed a few times.)
It's at this clear stage that the snake might find it helpful to have a 'damp hide' ie a closed plastic box of suitable size (old ice cream boxes are ideal) with a hole cut in the side as an entry, lined with damp kitchen roll, as a source of extra humidity. I also put the water bowl at the warm end so that it evaporates faster - more humidity. All snakes are different - some don't need the extra humidity, some do. A gentle increase of humidity is no bad thing but you don't need to go to extremes.
As to the frequency of shedding, again, there's no hard and fast rule. They're all different. The more they eat and grow, the more frequently they shed, and of course the younger, faster growing snakes will shed its tight kit far more frequently than a mature snake that has done its growing.
Hope this helps. |
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Edited by - n/a on 04/02/2011 18:07:18 |
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Penvers
Snake Mite
United Kingdom
9 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2011 : 18:04:21
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| Nice one cheers! |
Penv. |
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n/a
deleted
7384 Posts |
Posted - 04/02/2011 : 18:08:29
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LOL - I had to amend it - forgot about damp hide thingy. |
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Lorraine
Yearling
United Kingdom
480 Posts |
Posted - 22/08/2011 : 17:07:06
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| Thanks for this info. |
1.0.0 CB11 Normal Royal, Oscar.
1.0.0 German Shepherd, Bailey.
Still lots to learn. |
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Lorraine
Yearling
United Kingdom
480 Posts |
Posted - 22/08/2011 : 17:08:04
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| Thanks for this info. |
1.0.0 CB11 Normal Royal, Oscar.
1.0.0 German Shepherd, Bailey.
Still lots to learn. |
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lee1982
Hatchling
79 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2011 : 12:56:30
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| My royal hates getting in the bath, he only likes damp moss, last time i bathed him he tried to bite me |
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Bathing.
