Hide

I have a rack for my 8 bp's and I have always used hides in the tubs until a couple of month ago when I asked some people on another forum where they had their hides, on the warm or the cool side.
I got the response that almost no one used any hides at all. So I took mine away just to try it out and its working okey I guess. They all eat well, shed properly and breed like crazy.

But now I read Adam Wysockis post on how to feed live responsibly.

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I leave their hide boxes (and everything else) in the cage ... This gives them some cover to hunt from and protects their bodies from the rats.

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But is is an old post from 2005, so I would like to know how you live feeding guys and girls do it now?

I offer 1 hide to each BP some use it some don't (up to them)

Here are the hides I provide http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=59280

Except for my really big girls (3000+ grams) all my snakes get one hide - I use the black plastic kind and they maneuver them around the tub from hot to cool or somewhere in the middle as they see fit. The big girls are big enough that when coiled they cover most of the back of the tub and can get a nice tight secure fit without a hide.

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Originally Posted by Mikkla

But is is an old post from 2005, so I would like to know how you live feeding guys and girls do it now?

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Same exact way.

Some people use hides, some don't ... I don't think either way is "wrong" ... the most important thing is to know your animals as individuals and figure out what works best for you and for each of them.

The processing of growing and striving to become the best keeper that you can involves keeping an open mind and listening to everyone ... whether you agree with how others do things or not, there is ALWAYS value in listening to what they have to say ... the ability for all of us as keepers to be able to get together for the free exchange of knowledge and ideas is one of the things that I really love about this hobby ... I applaud you for asking the right questions and figuring out what works best for you! :bow:

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I applaud you for asking the right questions and figuring out what works best for you! :bow:

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Thanks Adam :)
I never had a problem with feeding live, but your post got me thinking that it would be a good idea with a hide to give them some protection from bites.
But i guess it's true like you said about knowing your animals and do what works best for them, not for me. So I think that I will give one guy back his hide. I think he liked it :)

I agree, it depends on the snake. I figure it's nice to at least give them the option. The guy I got my adult pinstripe from said not to bother giving her a hide because she wouldn't use it. Well, I gave her TWO different hides and she uses them all the time! My babies each have three hides and they move around to different ones to thermoregulate.

A lot of it might have to do with where your rack is. My tubs are just on a wire shelving unit in my dormroom, and while I work quietly at my computer when I'm in here, my frequent presence and the natural light from the two windows might make them more prone to wanting hides than someone who has a nice black rack in a designated reptile room.

v

Some of mine use the hides, some don't. I think if you use an all or none approach that it will have a negative impact on the health of your animals. Tailor your enclosure to each individual, and you will see better results.

Yep, I use 1 hide per tub