Hides? 2 or 1?

Hmmm... So, from what I have read in many posts, you should place a hide on both the cool side and hot side. Many even suggest to use two identical hides. Why is it when I see so many pictures, there is only one hide? There is definitely not room for another hide. Is using two hides just a suggestion for optimal conditions?

If you don't have room for a second hide, your snake will be fine...I don't use hides at all except for one of my balls and they are all fine, and I'm not convinced that the one who has the hide is any better off for it.

definitely two hides. It makes sure that you bp does not have to chose between safety and feeling secure or thermal regulation.

If you don't have room I wouldn't lose sleep over it. One will do just fine.

I have 2 hides until they reach about 500g then one.

I have taken the cool side hide out of my Normals tank.. He never used it always burrowed next to it, He prefers the drift wood hide in the middle of the tank, but uses the hide on the hotside.

While I am not sold on the necessity of Identical hides Hot/Cool it seems to be the general consensus.

Some in tubs have one hide some have none.

I think it depends on your snake to be 100% honest

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Originally Posted by RobNJ

If you don't have room for a second hide, your snake will be fine...I don't use hides at all except for one of my balls and they are all fine, and I'm not convinced that the one who has the hide is any better off for it.

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Just to clarify - I'm assuming your BPs are in a rack? In which case the tub itself acts like a hide. The importance of multiple hides comes up the most when someone is using glass tanks or oversized tubs that don't provide the snakes any seclusion.

I have 2. One hot side one cool side. They do go back and forth between them too. That way they have security which ever side they wish to be in. The black hides from Reptile Basics are awesome. My snakes are always in their hides, very rarely come out. So I know they like them.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

Just to clarify - I'm assuming your BPs are in a rack? In which case the tub itself acts like a hide. The importance of multiple hides comes up the most when someone is using glass tanks or oversized tubs that don't provide the snakes any seclusion.

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Yeah, they are in a rack...though my oldest lived in tanks for 4+ years(before I moved her to a rack) with only one hide and was no worse for it. Ultimately, I'd say it depends on the snake. If it eats, poops, and sheds fine with one hide, then that is more than likely sufficient.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

The importance of multiple hides comes up the most when someone is using glass tanks or oversized tubs that don't provide the snakes any seclusion.

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That makes sense, Although Diablo has tons of ground cover more so then likely most have, Hence the reason I'm not stressing about a cool side hide

Completely depends on the snake, and your set up.

For any glass tank or PVC cage set up I would offer two hides, but for every BP that never shows it's face outside of a hide, I'm sure someone will have a story about a BP who thinks it's a corn snake.

I would also offer two hides in a tub set up, depending on where the tub is located (high traffic or low traffic area) and how clear the plastic is.

For racks, many keepers don't use any hides at all, though I do offer two and they both get utilized. I haven't done any experimentation on reducing the number of hides in my rack tubs, because it's not really any harder to leave them in there than to take them out, and they do seem to bet used.

Should they be identical? Yeah, it makes sense to me that they should, but I'm sure there are snakes out there who wouldn't show a prefrence. I only use RBI hides, so all mine happen to be identical.

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Originally Posted by ExotixTowing

I have taken the cool side hide out of my Normals tank.. He never used it always burrowed next to it, He prefers the drift wood hide in the middle of the tank, but uses the hide on the hotside.

While I am not sold on the necessity of Identical hides Hot/Cool it seems to be the general consensus.

Some in tubs have one hide some have none.

I think it depends on your snake to be 100% honest

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I have identical hides in the tanks and for my babies but the adult het clown females and the het clown male either have one or none.

The male rarely went inside his and just hid behind it where he looked cramped up and Norma the normal doesn't want to be under a hide at all.

They're all in blacked out tubs though so maybe that's enough for them.

thinking about Natural habitat... Does the Snake ever spend time in anything that is the same ?? Wouldn't you want to offer something that is more realistic to the Snakes natural habitat ??

They are regularly found in rodent burrows and termite mounds. Most of them are similar.

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Originally Posted by ExotixTowing

thinking about Natural habitat... Does the Snake ever spend time in anything that is the same ?? Wouldn't you want to offer something that is more realistic to the Snakes natural habitat ??

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The reason for this in captivity, is if they prefer one hide to the other, they may not thermoregulate. If say they don't like the hide that's on the hot side, or vice versa. They may stick to one hide because they prefer it, even if its too hot/cold.

We provide multiple hides for any snake in an actual enclosure-style cage, but for snakes in racks hides are only offered if the animal doesn't seem to be feeding readily or is otherwise indicating that it is less than happy with its enclosure. I follow this same formula for my snakes at home, and it is extremely effective.

For folks with new snakes, or problem feeders, using multiple hides is a good idea. I would actually recommend trying different hides until you see what your snake prefers - if it seems to be exclusively using one hide, try replacing the other hide with one identical to the hide the snake is using. Treat it like a science experiment, and change one variable at a time.

The nice thing about ball pythons is that once you get your snake(s) dialed in, they are not generally too complicated after that. Other species, especially more active species or more sensitive species, can benefit from multiple hiding places to choose from.

-Jen

mine hardly ever uses the hide on his cold side except for as a bathroom...hes always in hot hide or in the middle of the cage in his moist hide