can a snake not trust a hide?

[frankadank]

well just some new parent doubts and questions. just want to keep gaining knowledge on my beautiful baby. well i received my beautiful bee last wednesday an everything's been going good, other than some personal doubts.. the first 2 days she loved her hot hide. but i saw her being under the cold hide too so she was exploring and testing everything out. them 2 hides are identical than i have a 3rd log hide in the middle close to the UTH which she's never gone into yet. well majority of last week she was under the hot hide. come feeding day on sunday, yes i tried only after 4/5 days, well she ate! perfectly i may add. so i see she's not really stressed that much. well before i fed her she was under the warm hide and i exposed her. picked it up and took it out. than fed her and put it back in. i realize i should remove a different hide that she's not in to make more room for feeding next time. after the feed she was in the cool hide for 2 days which is about 84° well today she was in the 3rd log hide! which i'm happy for cuz she hasn't been there yet but haven't seen her in the hot hide since saturday. could the actions i've done make her not feel comfortable under that hide anymore? or literally just not wanting to be there at this time? just want to know if you can make a snake feel not so safe under that one hide ove other hides. thanks for any input! love the many helpful pros here and i'm excited to be joining! also i'm thinking about starting handling this week so she can get used to me, since she already ate for me thinking i can start letting her smell me out for 5/10mins a day. thanks guys!

[Scubadiver59]

Apparently you received your new family the same day I did--congratulations!

And like me, you're stressing out over what you expect and what they are wont to do...which apparently, as I'm finding, is everything else. Based on my own limited experience, and as one n00b to another...relax.

My Corn disappeared the day I put in her hollow log structure and rarely ventures out, though I did catch sight of her last night in her hot hide, but by morning she was back hiding in the faux logs. My King, since feeding her inside her hot hide, which I too removed to offer up dinner, she's been inside the faux logs. I left a pinky for the Corn since she wouldn't come out, and she took it, and the King struck hard and immediately swallowed hers. That was on the 3rd.

Since then, there have been poo piles left in both habitats so I know they are still alive, and feeding time is tonight (4th day) or tomorrow night (5th). If they're there, so be it, tongs and pinkies for all; if not, I might leave an offering again, or I might wait until late at night to catch them in the open to feed them. I personally want to feed them myself, so they get used to it, but they're still new and I can be flexible for now unless I'm advised otherwise.

Be patient my padawon! :rolleyes:

[EL Ziggy]

If your temps are controlled by a thermostat, and you provide the proper temperature gradient and sufficient hides, your snake will thermo regulate itself perfectly. It will go from the warmest spot to the coolest spot and all points in between as it needs/wants to. The more your snake acclimates to its new environment the more you'll see it moving about all areas of the enclosure. It's fascinating to watch them grow and mature from tiny scared hatchlings into big beautiful ferocious beasties.

[Andy_G]

I want to let you know that they really dont need a lot of room to feed. I've never heard of having to remove a hide for a snake to feed as they loke coiling it and bringing their food in with them to eat in the hide in a lotnof examples.

I have 2 questions: are you certain that the hot side is not too hot, and are the hides snug enough for the snake?

[frankadank]

I have 2 questions: are you certain that the hot side is not too hot, and are the hides snug enough for the snake?

the hot hide 92-94° and they are medium size hides and she's a juvenile only 5 months but she snugs herself in and it seems like enough room. i remove one cuz the water dish is a medium one and the 3 hides being in there barely has enough room for her to lunge and coil up without having interference. ill prob remove the opposite hide next time or try it out without removing. thanks for the advice!

[frankadank]

If your temps are controlled by a thermostat, and you provide the proper temperature gradient and sufficient hides, your snake will thermo regulate itself perfectly. It will go from the warmest spot to the coolest spot and all points in between as it needs/wants to. The more your snake acclimates to its new environment the more you'll see it moving about all areas of the enclosure. It's fascinating to watch them grow and mature from tiny scared hatchlings into big beautiful ferocious beasties.

thanks ziggy! i was waiting to hear from you. yes everything is being montietrd by a thermostat and i recently checked temps while i was changing water and it all seems up to par. hot hide 92-94 and cool hide 80-84 depending on the time of day. just thought maybe i made her think the hot hide wasn't safe. it seemed like she enjoyed the hot side but haven't retreated since i removed it from her and placed it back in. thanks for all your help!

[akane]

Helps to list species when in general sections. Over 90F is really hot to me since I have all North American species except the blood python who likes much the same temps just a bit pickier about stability so I had to go look up your profile. Some species may be more sensitive to invasion of their enclosure than others but as far as I've seen they will get over it quickly and as they settle in, get handled, and grow up if they are starting young they will be less impacted by things.

I have had to remove hides or move snakes for feeding because I have some that like to cram around hides against the sides instead or some other position they can't strike from or get enough body out to wrap the prey and they are in no hurry to fix the situation. If it's one of the ones that won't take still f/t prey I either have to sit there until they get around to coming out or pull them out in the middle. Otherwise, they debate the rodent smell, debate the time of day and my existence as to whether they want to wake up and come out at all, debate the safest route to get to the open with prey, and sloooowly make their way to it. Aside from my species that does not constrict large prey though I never have a space so squished that they don't have an open feeding spot and can usually reach out to it from hides if they haven't gotten themselves in some weird position. Some of them the head comes out and the prey gets popped through what looks like too small of gap to be eaten in the hiding spot. I assume it's eaten if the next day rotten rodent is not wafting out. At even higher temps you will know if somewhere there is even a pinky sitting around. Occasionally my rosy falls in the water dish scooting her prey around the ground trying to figure out how best to eat it. She was maintained on pinkies only for 3 years so she's a bit clueless about eating proper sized mice.

[Andy_G]

Akane...90-92 is a good hot spot temp for them and if kept too cool they won't eat steadily. :)

Frank, snakes love very tight hides so just ensurr that youre using hides that are small enough.

[akane]

I looked them up for the suggested up to 95F temps and "cool" side in the mid 80s to see that it was comfortable. Most snakes I know go to the warm side after eating but at those temps it might not matter so I wouldn't be concerned if the snake chooses to digest elsewhere. Perhaps it just wanted to be more hidden while doing so instead of temp or disturbances being a factor. Mine go to more open areas but different species type and I use top heat so behavior could be quite different and they are a little more vulnerable right after a large meal. I don't have much heat pad usage experience. If they decide not to use a hide sometimes just restricting the opening makes them like it more even if it's a bit spacious inside for their preferences.

[frankadank]

i see i see. id say the hides are tight not very tight tho. and sorry akane i've been posting a lot about my bumblebee and i'm just sure the people who would reply already know what i have. i did say my beautiful bee as in bumblebee ball python. but thanks for all the input and i think i'm dropping the hot side by a little and see if she retreats. thanks guy!

[Aaron_S]

If everything is correct then sometimes I've found snakes to have hide preferences. Maybe one is tighter fitting than the other but by millimeters and to them it's best. I've found when placing a new hide in the enclosure sometimes snakes won't take to it right away. I am guessing from a smell perspective.