Cork Hides

[Elise.m]

We have one cork hide, and it's pretty big. Our little BP is just 3-4 weeks old, and she favors this cork hide, over her little plastic bowls that are in her home. At first I thought maybe it was because the whole in the bowls were facing out where she could see us, and we could see her. So I moved them, and she's still in that cork hide.

We bought this book The Ball Python Manual by The experts at Advanced Vivarium Systems (Philippe de Vosjoli, Roger Klingenberg, DVM, Tracy Barker, David Barker, and Alan Bosch), and they suggest using cork hides or clay hides. I've seen most everyone on here uses plastic bowls. Has anyone had a snake favor a cork hide over a plastic bowl?

[mrshawt]

The reason most people here recommend two, identical hides is for this reason. A bp will often choose security over temperature, even if it may get hurt.

Maybe the plastic bowls are letting light through, or they don't hug the bp properly. Do you have any pics comparing the two hides?

[Vypyrz]

The reason I prefer plastic is because it is so much easier to clean and disinfect than when a snake poops or pee's on a rock, wood, or cork hide. Don't give your snake the choice between cork or plastic. Give them the choice of warm side or cool side...


Rob

[Elise.m]

I took a picture of the bowls that I had left over. My camera sucks down batteries, so I had to charge those and took the pic with my phone. And that camera sucks, so sorry for the quality.



It is possible that she feels more secure in that cork hide. It's dark, but it's so much bigger than her. I think another reason why she's favoring it might be because it was the first hide she was comfortable with when we brought her home. It's also a possibility that she hasn't tried to fit in the new plastic bowls yet. I thought she would like the plastic more so I put the cork hide in there so it wasn't so bare, then the next thing I know, she's in the cork hide and completely ignoring the bowl.