Loves his tiny hide...issue?

[The Night King]

So my guy Swiper is growing like a weed. Got him in October and he was 200g. Now he is over 700g and right at a year old. He used to be in a exo terra but the humidity was a nightmare so I moved him to a AP T10 over the winter and he loves it. Temps and humidity are great and consistent. He has terrific sheds every time (knock on wood). So he had a small pyramid type hide in his small tank and just for familiarity I put it over in his new tank along with some other hides. One is a big cave that and another was a custom hide that I made out of Styrofoam to make the whole environment look like a gladiator pit. He goes in and out of his homemade gladiator cave all the time but he also spends a fair amount of time in his tiny pyramid.

He’s very calm and easy to handle and is on a good routine eating etc. The other day when I had him out he had some small indentations on his body because he had been in his very small pyramid and I just think he’s too big for it right now. So while he was out playing with my daughter I decided to switch the location of his little pyramid and the big cave to try to entice him to go into the bigger cave… But later on that evening I saw him over behind his pyramid in the new location that I have never seen him before. So he seemed a little confused and I don’t want him stressed so I decided to take him out and maybe gently coaxed him into going into his big cave which was at the same spot as his little pyramid used to be. He wanted none of it for whatever reason and stayed in there about five seconds then slithered over back to his gladiator cave.

So I swapped the location of the pyramid and the big cave back to their normal positions in the next day he was back in his small pyramid and seemed content.

But I worry that he’s just too big for that little pyramid and not sure what to do at this point… Any suggestions?

A few pics:

Small pyramid:



Normal cave plenty of space:



Big cave he never uses:



Main view of tank:






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[C.Marie]

As long as he isn't getting stuck in there I am sure it will be fine maybe you can get him the same hide different size just in case very nice looking set up.

[Bogertophis]

The cage looks great by our standards, but snakes like to feel snug for safety from predators. You might try something with the large hide that you want
him to use. First off, the doorway seems too large & open, & presumably the interior has the same open feel compared to his small pyramid. So take some
paper with texture that won't squash down (like a brown paper bag) and crumple several pieces of it...put some inside the large cave & also stick one in the
doorway, so it blocks it partway. Then see if he'll go in & stay there?

Snake don't read "House Beautiful"...they don't like high beam ceilings & dramatic entryways... they only care if it feels right.

[Bogertophis]

When I've raised some small snakes (like corns etc) in the past, even small commercial hides were too big...so I used to crumple a paper towel & stuff
it inside the hide, & they loved all the folds & crevices... Silly snakes!

[Craiga 01453]

The cage looks great by our standards, but snakes like to feel snug for safety from predators. You might try something with the large hide that you want
him to use. First off, the doorway seems too large & open, & presumably the interior has the same open feel compared to his small pyramid. So take some
paper with texture that won't squash down (like a brown paper bag) and crumple several pieces of it...put some inside the large cave & also stick one in the
doorway, so it blocks it partway. Then see if he'll go in & stay there?

Snake don't read "House Beautiful"...they don't like high beam ceilings & dramatic entryways... they only care if it feels right.

I agree with this, pretty much entirely.

I have a LG RBI hide that is way too big for my BP, but I've added some rocks and moss inside to make it "snug" for him. He uses it regularly.

P.S. your setup looks great. Be careful with that skull too. One day you'll come home or wake up to a snake stuck, wedged inside those eye holes. Not fun, and dangerous for the snake.

[The Night King]

Thanks for all th info. I crumpled up lots of paper inside the skull so there is no way he can get inside....just can’t see it unless you are very close.

ill tinker with the new hide this weekend a bit.

[Craiga 01453]

Thanks for all th info. I crumpled up lots of paper inside the skull so there is no way he can get inside....just can’t see it unless you are very close.

ill tinker with the new hide this weekend a bit.

Not trying to be a buzzkill, but others have tried that too with those hollow aquarium decorations, but the snakes DO find their way in. There have been several threads within the last few months regarding exactly that. Just food for thought...

[Bogertophis]

....Be careful with that skull too. One day you'll come home or wake up to a snake stuck, wedged inside those eye holes. Not fun, and dangerous for the snake.

On a different forum years ago there was someone who had their snake temporarily in one of those clear plastic carry-cages, with the colorful snap-on lid w/handle.
The 4 sides of those are ventilated like a comb- and the cage they were using had a couple "teeth" missing, but the hole was way too small for the snake to get out,
or so they thought. When they weren't paying attention, their snake tried to escape anyway & got halfway thru those broken "teeth" and died from the gruesome
injuries. Never underestimate a snake's desire to escape...and don't take it "personal" either, it's their nature to either be hunting or hiding...not sitting there in a
box, feeling exposed. We all love snakes here & we just want new owners to learn from the mistakes of others, not the "hard way" where your pet dies.

[Craiga 01453]

On a different forum years ago there was someone who had their snake temporarily in one of those clear plastic carry-cages, with the colorful snap-on lid w/handle.
The 4 sides of those are ventilated like a comb- and the cage they were using had a couple "teeth" missing, but the hole was way too small for the snake to get out,
or so they thought. When they weren't paying attention, their snake tried to escape anyway & got halfway thru those broken "teeth" and died from the gruesome
injuries. Never underestimate a snake's desire to escape...and don't take it "personal" either, it's their nature to either be hunting or hiding...not sitting there in a
box, feeling exposed. We all love snakes here & we just want new owners to learn from the mistakes of others, not the "hard way" where your pet dies.

It is surprising and somewhat impressive how good they are at finding trouble. I've learned through the years it more often a case of "when" not "if" they find their way into whatever potential danger is within their reach.