Do Snakes Drink Water? You Never Thought About This?

From the varied patterns on their lithe body to their graceful movements, snakes are undoubtedly fascinating creatures.

Snakes live in different habitats like forests, grasslands, swamps, deserts, fresh and salt waters. There are several species of snakes endemic to each type of habitat.

Snakes are long and limbless carnivorous animals. The lifespan of a snake ranges from two to 30 based on its species and living conditions. A snake's mouth opens wide to swallow its prey animals, and the muscles in its body push the food down to its stomach.

Snakes eat frogs, insects, birds, squirrels, mice, and other smaller snakes. The food a snake consumes depends on its size. While we now know a snakes food menu, let's find out what they drink and how.

If you are a snake enthusiast and are curious to know more about these beautiful beings, check out our other suggestions: why do snakes shed, and why do snakes eat themselves.

Do ringneck snakes drink water?

Like any other living being, snakes also need water to keep them hydrated. While the snakes get water from the prey they have swallowed whole, this amount of water is not enough to prevent dehydration.

So, yes, snakes drink water or liquid to quench their thirst. They also like to soak in water, which helps them to keep their skin clean and hydrated. Pet snake species like corn snakes and ball pythons need a lot of water, both to drink and soak their bodies in.

Ringneck snakes are small, slim, and shy creatures. While their backs are in black or brown, or gray shades, they have a vibrant ring around their neck and the same colored underside.

The rings are usually yellow, orange, or red. These snakes like humid habitats but aren't found submerged in waters. Ringneck snakes also drink water.

If you are raising a ringneck snake, it is advisable to place a shallow water bowl in their terrarium for the reptile to drink from. The water bowl should neither be heavy enough to crush the tiny snakes nor deep enough for them to drown.

How often do snakes need to drink water?

While it has been made clear that snakes do drink water, how they drink water is another interesting topic. While the drinking techniques may vary in some species, we will discuss a few of the most common ways a snake drinks water.

Snakes have a thin forked tongue which does not allow them to lap up water. The lips of a snake have a small notch to let the tongue through.

So a snake can't use either its tongue or lips to drink water. Since snakes swallow large prey whole, their lower jaw opens wide.

There are a lot of soft tissue and skin creases in a snake's lower jaw to facilitate this action. These soft tissues, when folded together, form small tubes that act like a sponge.

These tiny sponge-like furrows absorb water, and then muscles that help snakes swallow food push the water down to the snake's stomach. Other species, like the boa constrictors, suck water through a straw-like hole in the mouth.

They drink water by creating negative and positive pressures in their mouths. They draw in water by creating negative pressure, seal up their mouths, and create a positive pressure, making the water flow down to the snake's stomach.

Snakes of different species living in different habitats all require water, but how much water and how often differ based on their size, species, and habitats. Some snakes are big drinkers.

They drink a lot of water every day. Most snakes like to soak in the water, which helps them keep their skin healthy and makes molting easier. Your pet snake should have a water bowl in its terrarium with clean drinking water.

Some pets drink water often, while some drink in lesser frequencies. Though they might not drink water often, it is necessary always to have fresh water in the snake's water bowl.

They will drink when they feel thirsty and need hydrating. Sea snakes and snakes living in deserts often experience scarcity of freshwater. They obtain some hydration through the food they eat and can manage without water to drink for months.

Sea snakes come to land occasionally to drink water, whereas desert snakes store rainwater on their bodies to drink. Most snakes can stay alive without water for a few weeks to months, though.

If you have a pet snake, it is also important what kind of water your snake drinks. It is not advised to give them tap water, as they may contain chemicals like chlorine and ammonia, which might be harmful to your pet snake.

So, it is recommended to give bottled water or purified drinking water to your snake. This water can be placed in a bowl in your snake's cage. The bowl size and shape must suit your snake's needs.

Do swimming pools attract snakes?

A pool is a blessing during the summers. It helps us cool down on a hot afternoon and relax. Interestingly enough, some other animals seem to feel the same, and we often find uninvited guests in our pools that have come in search of a water source for a drink or a dip.

Snakes love water sources like lakes and ponds and other humid places. A soak in a water body generally makes a snake happier.

So, yes, snakes might find your pool attractive to take a dip in. Other things that might attract a snake to your pool can be prey like frogs, toads, and mice, which themselves come for a bit of pool time. Sometimes snakes can end up in your pool by accident too.

Do snakes swim in water?

Snakes have beautiful skin full of scales. They shed this skin four to 12 times a year.

For the shedding to be done easily, this skin should not be dehydrated. Hence a snake often looks to absorb water and moisture through its skin. The snakes in the wild look for a drinking water source, but a pet snake is content with soaking itself in the bottled water kept in its bowl.

While some snakes live in water bodies like rivers, lakes, and even the sea, some live in rough and dry terrains like deserts and rocky mountains. Surprisingly though, all snakes can swim.

Most snakes swim on the water surface with their head above water and body inside the water at an angle. Sea snakes need not worry about breathing underwater and hence fully submerge inside the deep blues.

Snakes swim and stay afloat in water by moving their body in lateral S-shaped motions. Snakes find it challenging to get out of water bodies like pools because of the raised surface, but rivers, lakes, or beaches are easier to get out of because of the gradually rising surface.

Do snakes like chlorine pools?

Snakes drink and soak in water like most animals to avoid being dehydrated. Like humans and other animals, the fresh water a snake drinks must be of good quality with necessary minerals and void of harmful substances.

So, a snake likes to stay away from chlorine pools. If you find a snake in your chlorinated pool, it means the poor fellow got in by accident, probably while chasing a mice or a frog to feed on.

Chlorine in pools is dangerous and toxic to the snake. Though the amount of chlorine in the pool might not immediately kill a snake, it will make the snake irritated and agitated. The chlorine added to your pool water can also damage the snake's skin.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for do snakes drink water, then why not take a look at how often do snakes eat or how often do snakes shed.