Fresh water, derp?

[Saji]

I guess if your overly anal you can get distilled water at the grocery store? Um...mine do fine with tap water.

[guidofatherof5]

I wouldn't used distilled. Read somewhere it's not the best for reptiles/pets.
Distillate removes good things too.

[Herp Derp]

I`m not overly anal, I just want to understand some of these things better. tap water is the way the majority of people with snakes go, I wonder if it`s too clean for them... it may lack beneficial bacteria that it gets from its environment as well as raising immunity to diseases.

[guidofatherof5]

I`m not overly anal, I just want to understand some of these things better. tap water is the way the majority of people with snakes go, I wonder if it`s too clean for them... it may lack beneficial bacteria that it gets from its environment as well as raising immunity to diseases.

It may also contain parasites and other bad things.
I side on the clean water.

[chris-uk]

I guess if your overly anal you can get distilled water at the grocery store? Um...mine do fine with tap water.

Distilled water is probably a bad idea, mostly for the reason Steve put in a nutshell :

I wouldn't used distilled. Read somewhere it's not the best for reptiles/pets.
Distillate removes good things too.

"Good things" are essentially the minerals and ions that are naturally present in water. Drinking distilled water can cause osmotic imbalance and deplete the cells of minerals.

I`m not overly anal, I just want to understand some of these things better. tap water is the way the majority of people with snakes go, I wonder if it`s too clean for them... it may lack beneficial bacteria that it gets from its environment as well as raising immunity to diseases.

I'm not sure there is anything in "beneficial bacteria". I'd go for clean water.

[joeysgreen]

Any beneficial bacteria will come from food.
Sitting water never goes bad unless something enters it; algae growth; dead/dying material falling into it; bacteria are seeded etc. If anything, it's hardness will increase as it evaporates, leaving behind it's solutes. Nothing a reptile can't handle.
Distilled water, in lacking solutes will steal them following simple osmosis - electrolytes, free ions, will travel from areas of high concentration (tissues/cells) to low concentration - ingested, pure water. This would work with proteins and other large molecules but the body is built better to retain these. Thus one drink of distilled water is certainly not toxic, constant exposure to nothing but, and you will have a snake in duress.
In natural systems distilled water quickly gains solutes. In a sterile-type enclosure this wont be the case.
Chlorine will evaporate; chloramine won't.
You can get carbonate filters that bind chlorine but chloramine is more difficult to rid. I think many zoos in areas with chloramine are building their own water by using distilled and adding solutes.

Ian

[guidofatherof5]

Distilled water is probably a bad idea, mostly for the reason Steve put in a nutshell :

"Good things" are essentially the minerals and ions that are naturally present in water. Drinking distilled water can cause osmotic imbalance and deplete the cells of minerals.

Thanks Chris, for cleaning up my less then informative post.

[Herp Derp]

Thanks everyone for the info/discussion/explanations.
Ian that post is close to sticky material. So the only way to get rid of Chloramine is by chemical use?
I'd rather try and go natural ways... does collecting rainwater have issues?

[guidofatherof5]

Standing water will remove chloramines.
Rain water can pick up a lot of contaminants as it falls. Letting tap water stand for 24 hours might be the best choice, just my opinion.

[slipknot711]

Standing water will remove chloramines.
Rain water can pick up a lot of contaminants as it falls. Letting tap water stand for 24 hours might be the best choice, just my opinion.

thats what i do. got my 4 or 5 extra jugs that i fill and i leave them un capped.