First rack system questions

I should be getting my first rack in the next few weeks. I ordered an economy plastics adult BP rack from Animal Plastics about 5 weeks ago. Anywho, my question is: Do I need hides while using said rack system? I've noticed the 41qt tubs get kinds cramped with hides in them and I've seen quite a few videos on youtube where breeders are not using hides in their rack system. I'd like to NOT use them but if it is best, so be it. Thanks in advance for any insight!

First off, congrats! Great choice, I am a huge AP fan! I do not use hides in any of my racks. I use clean white packing paper and the animals go under that towards the back, it serves as their hide :gj:

Typically in racks, the animals can feel secure because of the design.

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Originally Posted by WmHrbst

First off, congrats! Great choice, I am a huge AP fan! I do not use hides in any of my racks. I use clean white packing paper and the animals go under that towards the back, it serves as their hide :gj:

Typically in racks, the animals can feel secure because of the design.

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Thanks for the info. The concern came from the fact that while experimenting, I decided to take hides away from a few snakes for a week to see what happened. The result was they all started soaking in their water bowl 24/7 and were super stressed. I figure the darkness of the rack should hopefully make them less stressed and allow me to remove hides.

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Originally Posted by Mchristy

Thanks for the info. The concern came from the fact that while experimenting, I decided to take hides away from a few snakes for a week to see what happened. The result was they all started soaking in their water bowl 24/7 and were super stressed. I figure the darkness of the rack should hopefully make them less stressed and allow me to remove hides.

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Removing the hides could have caused a lack of humidity especially in a tank. The animal hiding in the hide would have more humidity almost like a humid box. A rack system is far superior compared to a tank especially for keeping ball pythons.

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Originally Posted by WmHrbst

Removing the hides could have caused a lack of humidity especially in a tank. The animal hiding in the hide would have more humidity almost like a humid box. A rack system is far superior compared to a tank especially for keeping ball pythons.

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They are all in 41qt tubs, like they will be in the rack.