BP hasnt come out of hide in awhile...or so it seems..

[thedude5623]

Well, I have had my HI-White Pied now for a little over a month. He is around 8-9 months old and has been a great snake so far in pretty much every area. I have owned a few different snakes in the past...grass snakes to bp's to boas..even a woma for a short while but Ive never noticed a snake stay in a hide for such a long period of time. Now granted I dont sit and stare at his cage allday but he ALWAYS would come out at night atleast...the last time I saw him was around a week ago when he was in his hide but just with his neck out looking around..2 nights in a row he did this and it kind of looked like he WAS infact going to go into shed?? This is probably the most logical explanation right?? I dont like bothering him when hes in his hide...I only like to take him out when he is out and about exploring, which is almost always at night...this way I know Im not waking him from his sleep..kinda silly but I dont like getting disturbed in my sleep either!! He is in an escape proof cage to btw ... so I know he is in there and all the temps and humidity are correct (95/80/60-65)..He also has been accepting f/t small rats whenever offered and was as healthy as a horse last time I saw him..if it is infact him shedding how long does the process typically take??should the humidity be higher than 60-65?? thanks for any help in advance-

[Kymberli]

Humidity while not in shed should be between 50-60, during shed should be closer to 70. You said 95/80.. I'm going to assume you mean that you have the warm side surface at 95 (belly heat) and the ambient at 80? Sounds pretty close to what the caresheet HERE says, though I prefer having my hot spot closer to 92 on top of the substrate in case the snake gets under the paper towels, and my ambient temp closer to 84.
As for the hiding, there's no problem there. It has been said that "a hiding BP is a happy BP". Sometimes I don't see mine for a week at a time. Mine typically remain in their hides even at night and then become active closer to feeding. If you're worried about him, lift up the hide and check on him.. you shouldn't have to worry about "bothering him" during the day unless you're taking him out of his hide every day and handling him.

I'm no expert, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but hopefully this helps. Anyone else can correct me.

[thedude5623]

Thank you for the advice. His cage has a built in heat source from above that is hooked to a thermostat. There is no need for me to worry about him laying directly on an uth that is too hot. I figured a hiding ball is most likely a happy ball but I just thought it was weird how he seemed to be very active once I first got him and then it suddenly all stopped. Maybe hes "settled" in now?? Ill post pics up of him as soon as he comes back out being this is my first real post here.

[Kymberli]

Thank you for the advice. His cage has a built in heat source from above that is hooked to a thermostat. There is no need for me to worry about him laying directly on an uth that is too hot. I figured a hiding ball is most likely a happy ball but I just thought it was weird how he seemed to be very active once I first got him and then it suddenly all stopped. Maybe hes "settled" in now?? Ill post pics up of him as soon as he comes back out being this is my first real post here.

I think you answered your own question there.
I do, however recommend getting an under tank heater regulated by a thermostat, rather than a CHE or light bulb. I'm not entirely sure if it's necessary, but it has been my understanding that belly heat will assist them in digestion much more than back heat will (since they need supplied heat in order to properly digest). I could be wrong, especially considering many rack systems are built with back heat (not above, in back of rack) rather than belly heat.

Pictures are a must, though... especially of a nice high-white pied!

[thedude5623]

His heat source is not that of a bulb...when I bought his encloseure there was an option to have a heat "panel" installed...the heat panel is white and attached to the top of the enclosure nicely...the cage is made of a heavy composite material and is only glass on the front..Ill try to find the site i bought it from but at the time it seemed like a "top of the line" setup?? Theres not really anyway to install an uth with a setup like this--

[blushingball419]

Yeah, if you haven't seen him come out at all, not even at night to explore or anything, then he is most likely in the process of shedding. My bp is also in shed at the moment, and the last time I saw her out and about was about 6 days ago after she ate her rat. The whole shedding process takes about 10 days to 2 weeks depending on the individual snake, and the humidity should be bumped up to 70% for that entire length of time.

Everything else sounds good though and it sounds like a nice enclosure!! You should post pics after he sheds... pieds are such beautiful bps!!