Is it possible to hide TOO much?

[patattack]

More newbie paranoia!

I fed my new, fairly young ball python a week ago Thursday, and I haven't seen him exit his warm side hide since then. It was my first time feeding him (I'd waited almost two weeks after getting him to let him get acclimated and all that jazz. ) After the feeding, I waited four days or so, then lifted up the hide to see what was going on. I removed some excrement from the substrate and took him out to see if he would react normally - which he did. Once I had him out of the tank, he was crawling around like usual. I did notice that his scales seemed a little rough, and opalescent in areas. I assumed that meant he was going to shed soon. But...I put him and his hide back into the tank, and a few minutes later he was back underneath it. A few times I've walked into the room at night and noticed his head and a couple inches of neck poking out of the hide, but he hasn't come out all the way. Oh, and he definitely hasn't shed yet.

Is something wrong? It's about time for another feeding, but I don't want to interfere if he's "about" to shed. Should I wait, or just go ahead?

[rabernet]

He's behaving like a well adjusted ball python! I'd be more concerned if he was constantly out and not relaxing in his hide!

[TanyaL]

My BP won't eat if she is in a shedding phase. Others here have said that they wait until after they shed but then a good number also say that when feeding time comes around, they feed, shedding or not. So I think it's going to depend on your BP if they are interested in the prey or not.

My BP will also spend days in her hide, especially when she is about to shed. When I notice the pink belly, I will offer her one more feeding and then leave her alone until after she sheds. So far I've had 4 almost perfect sheds since owning her.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

He might be hiding too much for your taste (we all wish we could see them more) however for your BP it's totally normal.

[patattack]

He might be hiding too much for your taste (we all wish we could see them more) however for your BP it's totally normal.

Hah! All right, then. I guess it makes sense, considering all I've heard about how they like enclosed spaces. It's just that I haven't even seen him out at night (I stay up until about 2 most days) and for the first two weeks he was out and about quite a lot during the nighttime. I guess now he knows his surroundings and doesn't need to explore anymore?

[Abby_The_Python]

Yup same thing for mine, thank god i have a photo of her on my desk at work, otherwise i would forget what she looked like (almost) evn tho i think of her all the time!

I looked into this matter also & what i was told was ball pythons prefer nothing more then to be inside their hide waiting for that next meal...even if its weeks...doh!

[Somed00d]

Most of my ball pythons stay in the warm hide all the time. They use the heat to digest the food. After a meal they almost always go into the warm hide.

[mattred]

Mine is the same way; I rarely see him move from the hides unless he is moving between the two. The only other time I see him out is if I get up in the middle of the night and turn the light on, or come in to the dark room later at night and flip on the light, he is usually hanging out on a branch or otherwise checking out the tank. But when he sees that light go on, or sees me come close, he'll get right back into his hide. On a side note, he seems to be a lot more active (coming out, moving around, exploring) now that I've put newspaper around both sides & the back and on half of the top of the tank, he probably feels more secure that way.

[starmom]

Mostly all of balls are out and about exploring within an hour after turning off the lights. Some are drinking, some are checking out the nooks and crannies of their tubs or cages. My snakes in tubs move their hides around with them as they thermoregulate and my balls in reptile cages move back and forth between their hides. None of them stay out in the open during daylight hours or when the lights are on

My boas on the other hand are always hanging out on their branches or, at night, moving around Curious little buggers!!

As for feeding during their shed cycle, I always offer food and most often they take it. I've noticed that when they are within 24 hours of actually shedding they typically refuse. When this happens, I just wait until the next regular feeding day. I feed every 7 days for my snakes.

[Beardedragon]

Try to sneak a peek of them at night You wouldn't even think I had a snake if you only came in during the day( If the all the racks don't give it away...) Lesser will spend a few hours a night trying to escape his cage, and it is super cool catching them getting a drink! Be sneaky though, half the time all i see is their tail end slowly retracting into their hides!