Why Do Snakes Like to Sleep in Water?

If you find your pet snake sleeping soundly in its water dish, you might wonder why it's not curled up on the bed of fake grass you planted in its cage. As a pet snake owner, it's helpful to know about the types of snake sleeping behaviors so you know whether something is of concern.

  1. Shedding

    • Snakes sleep and spend time in water -- lakes, rivers or their water dishes -- when they are getting ready to shed. The water helps lubricate their skin so the shedding process goes more smoothly. By sleeping in water, snakes soak up the moisture, and their new skin is not as dry after the dead skin peels away. The water also enables the snake to shed its dead skin in one big piece, as opposed to multiple smaller pieces, which can happen if the snake's skin is too dry.

    Keeping Cool

    • If a snake's environment is too hot or humid, it might curl up in the water to stay cool. Even in tropical regions, chances are the water temperature is colder than the outside temperature. This is a survival mechanism for snakes; if they become too hot or dry from extreme heat, they can die.

    Natural Environment

    • For sea snakes, their natural environment is the water, so they primarily sleep in the water, too. A sea snake can hold its breath for hours, and come up to the surface for air when it needs to. Some species of sea snakes prefer to sleep at the bottom of the sea, while others find shallow waters in which to snooze. A sea snake that sleeps in shallow water might keep its head above the water and perched on something, such as a rock, so it does not need to worry about holding its breath.

    Snake Mites

    • If a snake is infected with snake mites, it might spend extensive periods in water and even sleep there. The snake will sleep and soak in water to try to drown the mites. If you notice your snake is not shedding, but is sleeping in its water dish, inspect its skin for little bugs or bumps. Dead mites might even be in the water and will look like floating pieces of dirt. If your snake has mites, you can treat it with special mite-killing solutions in which you wash your snake.