Ball python staying in the cool hide

Just got my new guy last Sunday. I’ve noticed that the last 2 days he’s been in his cool hide. Is this normal? I do have a thermostat on my heating pad. I also Infrared the area frequently. So it stays between 88-92 on the heat mat. Ambient temps are 82 on the warmer side. On the cooler side it’s at 79-80.

I wouldn't worry about it at all- that 'cool side' is quite comfy. When was he last fed? When was his last shed? Many snakes prefer to stay cooler when going thru a shed cycle, but a few days could mean nothing at all anyway- it's normal for snakes to "thermo-regulate" most of the time- in fact, that's part of the reason they get by with not eating all the time as we have to do. ;) We're always burning up calories keeping our big ol' bodies at 98.6*, but when snakes stay cooler & fairly inactive, they don't have to shop all the time for meals.

That is fine if those numbers are accurate. Many of mine stay out of their hot zone and some of mine don't even have one on year round as I heat the room. Only when it gets cold do I turn some of them on and even then they don't always use them.

Not sure about the last meal. I just got him last Sunday and the breeder told me to feed him this Sunday. He did not eat for me. He did have a lump in him when I got him. So I assume he was fed not that long before I got him

I wouldn't worry at all, just let him rest & "settle in" to his new home. Sounds like he's still digesting his previous meal anyway, & if he still has a visible lump from that meal, it was probably on the large side, & I would not have offered more food just yet.

Over the years, I've noticed that some snakes (after having a meal that was a bit too large) seem to prefer the cool side, which seems counter-intuitive to what you'd expect. I have a feeling that snakes may instinctively try to keep from digesting a larger meal too quickly, so as not to overwhelm their digestive tract or because the nutrients would be poorly absorbed? or perhaps it's because their digestive enzymes are limited? But I've seen this "movie" before...whatever their reasons, I think we need to trust our snakes to know what they need. ;)

These are some photos of the guy’s set up .. it may allow some of you to come up with little bits of advice here and there ..




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