Hide question

Hello, everyone:

This is my first post and my first ball python. I just bought a normal female and she's about five or six months old, and I've noticed that since I've had her for about a month; she eats like clockwork and really only uses her hide during the shed process. From what I've read, it seems that she should prefer being in her hide a lot more. The tank is a 20 gallon long with warm side/cold side gradient. It's 81.2 degrees F and 68% humidity in the tank. My numbers are stable. Each time I handle her it goes a bit better, although she can flinch every now and then. I try not to flinch when she flinches.

How old is she? And what are the temps inside the hide on the substrate?

Can you post up a picture of the enclosure? I have a 20g long too. I have a large rock hide on the warm side and a pvc pipe on the cool side. Water dish is in the center. He usually uses one or the other. Do you use a UTH or Lamp for heat? I use a UTH on the warm side for mine set to 90-93*. It warms the substrate and raises the ambient temp in his rock hide up but the ambient temp outside his hide is around 80-82*. He seems very content with this setup. Eats every week and does his normal roaming in the eveings. Every bp is a little different but they generally like to hide unless its too cool or too warm.

Also, how big is your snake and what type and how big are the hides? If the snake doesn't feel secure in them, they won't use them. What type of heating set-up do you have and how are you controlling it?...