could he hurt himself?

[Amy1217]

okay, so as many of you know i just got my first RTB, Cypher. I got him a hideunder, and he refuses to go in it, but he does love sitting on top of it. I am fine with that, but i have him in a Sterilite Tub, the kind that is really long and divides in the middle. well, on the divide in the middle there are some edges, they are not sharp...or not sharp feeling to me atleast. The hide is under that, and i am worried about if he will hurt himself. Should i get another hide? possibly a shorter one? I moved it to another side in his tank, so he doesnt hurt himself on the edges, but he still almost touches the roof of the tub, and im wondering if he can get stuck if he gets any bigger.
advice?
Thanks all!!

[piranhaking]

HAHA You FINALLY said hide . As far as getting hurt on the divider i would think if it doesnt feel sharp to you then it should be ok, but see what everyone else has to say. As far as getting stuck I really doubt it. They can squeeze in and out of some amazing small spaces, and i would assume if he can get in, he can get out.

[frankykeno]

I have those sterlite type tubs. First thing is I hope you have heavy binder clips or something securing that middle. With the split lid like that there is a major give on that lid and your snake can and will push it up at some point. Secondly, why is his hide in the middle of the tub? If they are the same kind as I have they are a good 39 inches long so his hides should be at either end to allow him to thermoregulate. I've used this type of tub with two hides for our larger BP's and have yet to see any scale damage from the lid.

[recycling goddess]

personally with my rtb (and my hog island boa as well) i offer only one hide. on the warm side... when they want to thermoregulate they go on top of the hide or lay on the other side of the enclosure. boas aren't as needy when it comes to hides as balls are.

that said, i would definitely make sure the hide was against the warm side of your tub, not in the middle and honestly... your rtb isn't going to grow overnight. as he grows and can no longer 'fit' he'll find another place to lay!

[Amy1217]

i put it in the middle because that is where my heating pad that is on the bottom ends, and where the cool side begins, so he could sit on either side of the hide and it would be slightly diffrent temperatures. im a little curious about it because he loves to sit inbetween the handle and the top of the tub, and on top of his hideunder...buttt when he is older he will fit neither place. lol. I dont have clips on the middle...but i will soon...he isnt strong enough from what i know of to do that. yet. he is just a hatchling. ill go ahead and put some on there soon just incase. we all know that snakes are master escape artists!

[piranhaking]

Dont be fooled by small size, snakes are amazingly strong no matter if they are small or not. I had a 2 foot corn get out of a screen top aquarium that had the clips on each end of the tank. She flexed it up enough to push her way out.

[frankykeno]

One hide can't properly do in this situation Amy. A hide isn't big enough to provide enough area to allow for a proper heat gradient that he needs for thermoregulation. I'd suggest two hides so he never has to choose between feeling secure and his natural need to move from a cooler spot to a warmer spot. As far as that lid...he doesn't have to be very strong to slip under that middle part believe me. Also remember even a very young snake is still made of pure muscle. They are very strong for their size plus flexible and able to squash through very small openings. Makes them the perfect escape artists.

[recycling goddess]

snake+opportunity=escape

notice age and size are not in that equation!

[jason221]

snake+opportunity=escape

notice age and size are not in that equation!

Well... if someone had two aquariums that had screen lids, both with let's say 15 bricks on them to prevent escapes, which would escape: a hatchling corn or an adult BCI?

Other than that, you're right.

EDIT: ahhh... I always forget to check the dates on posts when I'm browsing the search engine...

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

I still stick to my oppinion on hides with b.c.i. and thats when they are established in your home, then they really don't need a hide. This isn't always the case of course but I haven't offered a hide for either of my boas and both eat fine and usually in shed as well. If he isn't using it at all and you are worried about it, take it out. If he starts refusing to eat(not likely) or seems stressed, put it back. Thats my only advice on it