Is a hide Necessary?

Are they? I'm housing a 2016 hatchling In a 6 qt tub (without a rack). I went to the dollar store and got the smallest bowl and item I could use as a water bowl. The bowl Is kinda too big to fit In the tub. I can cut the edges so it fit better, but I'd like the snake to have space to move around. Any Info is good. Thanks.

Hides are useful for both security and providing micro-climates. It is often far more humid in the hide than out( depending on hide and setup) . That being said I'm not sure if it would always be 100% necessary and may depend on other factors like your warm / cool side temps, the humidity, is there anything else in the enclosure? I feel like a snake in an open 6qt tub out of a rack would feel awfully exposed.
Pictures always help.
I would wait for someone with more experience to weigh in but I'm going to go with probably, but maybe not always.

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Ball pythons like to hide, and they like to be in hides so small that they can barely fit inside of them. A ball python without a hide would be stressed, scared and probably not eat.

In a rack system it would not be necessary do the the fact they are covered from all sides especially in gray tubs. I would say with a clear tub I would have a hide. You could always just get a little bit bigger tub.

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Depends on the snake.
Many of my hatchlings don't use a hide.

I use a rack system and I always offer hides. Almost all of mine use them, and the one who doesn't likes to lay on top of them.

My girl loves her hides. My boas really care less and my big boa usually just pushes her hide around and sometimes will put her head on top of it. Each snake is different. I would definitely offer a hide and see if he/she uses it. If they do, then you got your answer. If they don't, well, you got you answer there too lol.

Go to the grocery store and get some Hormel "Compleats" meals for about $2 each. Eat the food and run the plastic container through the dishwasher, then use a pair of sturdy scissors to cut an access doorway so your snake can get under it. If there are sharp edges at the cuts just use an emery board to smooth them out. They are perfectly sized for a baby snake and when flipped over the "top" of it will hold a few tablespoons of water so your baby can stay nice and humid without lying on wet paper.

Once the snakes get larger the rectangular plastic containers that some of the Ramen Manchurian meals come in also work as hides.

Thank you all for the Info! By the way, Is it okay to give a 15 qt tub to a hatchling?

I had a hatchling in a 15qt tub for a while. I had two small hides in it and a water bowl. It seemed to do very well.