Hide size and BP comfort, its a thing

[ClarinetPhoenix]

I thought my girl would be super chill with whatever changes I decide to make with her enclosure, she's certainly chill with everything else...but.... nope.

I decided that I needed to upgrade one of Rei's hides, well I tried and she tried it out for a couple days, and then decided she doesn't like I guess.
Its on her hot side but I have yet to see her use it, day after day. Temps are fine, humidity is fine, thermostat regulated UTH and she just took a meal for me yesterday, still refuses to use that hide. Its probably too big, she fills maybe a 1/3 of it, which I can tell now that its too big. Didn't look at way at the store.

She definitely still uses her half log on her cool-side, which she fits into and is quite snug. I have that one set up so that one end is covered by substrate/fake plants so it doesn't feel like there is two openings.

My idea of upgrading her was so she could kinda have a larger hide to use for awhile, but I think I went too big.

I did finally get some sense into me and I've ordered 2 medium RBI hides for her, might as well replace her half log as well and stop wasting so much money on these pet-store hides that are not giving my BP 100% comfort and security, they are also heavy and really a pain to clean and move around. I ain't got time for that.
I'll achieve the natural look with plants and substrate, but hides, I will never go for the inadequate and expensive pet store variety again. Besides, if I ever want to have a larger collection I have to economize and make some changes that will only make my snake-keeping easier for me in the long-run. Besides, $5/hide as opposed to $20+ for the same size in a pet store. You really can't beat that.

Don't joke about those hides, they really are essential to a BP's comfort and well-being.

[Craiga 01453]

All true!

You can put some rocks or crumpled newspaper inside the new hide. That'll make it feel more snug for your snake.

[ClarinetPhoenix]

All true!

You can put some rocks or crumpled newspaper inside the new hide. That'll make it feel more snug for your snake.

Oh that hadn't occurred to me! Thanks for that tip. I think I will do that as a temporary solution because her RBI's are a week out right now. I have a bad habit of ordering things on Mon/Tues(this is when I adult and figure out what I need to order/buy and organize my life) so I never get anything before 6/7 days. XD

Anyway, I really don't want her to sacrifice her belly heat for security, so I will try to make it more snug so that she's not going another week without proper temperature access.

Still switching to RBI's for her, and later on for Mosaic as well when she needs new hides.

[Coluber42]

I think sometimes we underestimate how long it takes them to warm up to a new hide. Mine will not hide in anything new until has been in there for weeks - even if it becomes his favorite place after that. I don't think it's entirely about how inherently comfortable it is, I think they are just extremely conservative when it comes to deciding that it's safe to hole up and go to sleep. When I have changed to new substrates, he has responded by spending a couple of weeks only using the hides that are tubes and not the ones that have a substrate floor. In other words, changing the substrate means that an otherwise unchanged hide is a new environment, whereas a tube that has its own floor hasn't changed. So he sticks with the ones that haven't changed until he gets more comfortable with the new floor.

I recently heard about a study on the survival rates of cobras (I think?) that had been taken from human-occupied areas and relocated to more acceptable (acceptable to the humans) natural habitat instead of just killing them. It turned out most of them got picked off by predators pretty quickly - way faster than should be the case if it were just that they didn't know where to find food. It seems likely that a big reason is that when removed from their home ranges they don't know where the safe refuges are, which they need for thermoregulating and to escape predators. In other words, they don't just disappear down any old hole they happen to see; they have a mental map of where the good spots are that are safe and predictably provide the conditions they need, etc.

That to me supports the idea that given a choice, snakes would rather use familiar hides that they know are safe and predictable. It obviously doesn't mean you shouldn't ever give them new ones; just that you shouldn't assume the new one is inherently unappealing just because the snake doesn't use it immediately.

[SMTHook]

It really is amazing how they decide where to go. I had the same two hides in Pi's enclosure since I basically got him. He stopped using the hot side one so I switched them to see if it was a thermo issue or a security issue. Sure enough he went in the one he previously liked but now on the other side. So I went out and bought two identical new hides. So I had 4 hides in there and he would only go in the new ones. Now the security issue has been solved but they are pretty small so he kinda wears them. He's like a turtle with a shell. Lol. I have to move them back into place constantly. So next will be bigger ones like the OP and I'd wager he will still want the small ones.

[SVT Wylde]

I bought a new larger hide for my snake because he was basically wearing his old hide. I put it in the same place as the other hide. He went in and checked it out and I thought everything he was good. The next morning he was sleeping out in the open in a ball behind the new hide. lol I felt sorry for him and gave him back his old hide.

I guess I'll try putting the new hide near the old one but fill it up with some moss and see if he finally accepts the change.

[Coluber42]

I bought a new larger hide for my snake because he was basically wearing his old hide. I put it in the same place as the other hide. He went in and checked it out and I thought everything he was good. The next morning he was sleeping out in the open in a ball behind the new hide. lol I felt sorry for him and gave him back his old hide.

I guess I'll try putting the new hide near the old one but fill it up with some moss and see if he finally accepts the change.

It might just take him awhile to get used to the new hide just because it's new, not because it's bad. He's got to make sure there aren't any monsters or bogey men under there.

[Godzilla78]

I give them multiple hides to choose from. It is probably just the “new factor” and it being strange and unknown as everybody said.
I’ve heard many experienced keepers claim that ball pythons don’t like large hides, which is generally true, but I have a couple snakes that prefer to hang out in very large hides, I think they feel safe as long as the entrance hole is small and secure, and they are protected on all
Sides.

[Sallysmom]

It just really takes them a while to warm up to new things. A month ago I switched substrate from Aspen to Cypress Mulch in my BP’s tank and he wouldn’t freaking use the ground to get around for a week. He’d be either sitting in the same hide (that has its own floor) or climb around using plants and drift wood like floor is lava. It was so frustrating to watch, but as a week or two went by he accepted the change and now is finally totally okay with the new substrate.
Im gonna have to get him a new humid hide soon cause he’s getting chubby and starting to wear it. And it’s his favorite hide atm so it’s gonna be another frustrating two weeks lol

[ClarinetPhoenix]

Update:
Rei's new medium RBI hides came in, I added them in an she immediately went into her hot-side and has been there since doin' her own thing, or just doing what BP's do... hide. XD
She even poked her head out yesterday as I was heating up Mosaic's food.

Will keep an eye on her tho for signs of stress and discomfort. However, I'm already decently encouraged by her immediate use of her new hides.