Burrowing?

My little yellow belly male is relatively new and I've never seen a bp burrow this much. My first gal would do it every so often, but not to this extent...

He shed just before I got him and his temps and humidity are good. He's in a 20 gallon black-backed with a branch, water bowl and hide. He's about four months old I don't have an exact weight on him, but I'll get it later today. He has been pounding rat pups of a decent size and seems pretty content... Hiding during the day, calm and friendly to handle.

At night, however, he pushes around his substrate and burrows a lot. At first I thought it was a temperature thing, but he digs motes around his water bowls and around the rock above his heating pad. (for this reason I've got the thing timed now. I was a little worried he'd burn himself.) Sometimes he pushes a ton of mulch up against the opening to his hide, and just sticks his little head out in the middle of it to look out.

I did try a bigger hide, and the behavior didn't change. I tried to raise the humidity a bit to see if that's what he was after, but he still dug away.

I don't mind it a bit, I just wanted to know if I should be concerned at all.
He doesn't seem stressed, and to be completely honest he is one of the sweetest, most personable animals I've ever met.

Thanks for your thoughts!

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...37186017_n.jpg

There shouldn't be a concern of burning if you have a thermostat, which you should always have for a UTH. Burrowing is normal, some just do it more than others...

I do, I was just worried that if he was resting on the heater on only glass it might be a little much. If it's not I'll take out the timer, though.

I figured it was nothing. Thanks for responding!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LGray23

There shouldn't be a concern of burning if you have a thermostat, which you should always have for a UTH. Burrowing is normal, some just do it more than others...

---

This is very true. Two of my ball pythons love to burrow under the unprinted newspaper that I have in their tubs. They will not even use the hides anymore so I have taken them out of the tubs.

Instead of a bigger hide have you tried a smaller one? They like them tight.
It could also just be something your snake does, not really a big deal.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mike41793

Instead of a bigger hide have you tried a smaller one? They like them tight.
It could also just be something your snake does, not really a big deal.

---

His small one is pretty little... I wound up putting it back in anyhow. He definitely seems to prefer it!

I imagine it really is just a quirk. Glad to set my mind at ease.

Thanks, all. :D

I got those hides from reptile basics and he's become to big for them since I got them 3 weeks ago and now he goes under the newspaper under the hides...his bigger hides r on the way lol