A Happy Ball is...

[wonderwhitters]

So I overheard somewhere (here, or a Facebook group, I cannot remember) someone say "a hiding ball is a happy ball." Do you find this to be true? Since I'm so new at this, I wanna ensure I'm doing EVERYTHING in my power to make sure our little guy has the happiest life imaginable. He's still adjusting, but is finally starting to use his hides. He has technically "four" of them in his enclosure (one of them is the Exo Terra skull and it doesn't really feel like a true hide to me, and the other is a log hide which he seems to enjoy), but he's starting to utilize the biggest hide in the enclosure and has now been in there almost 24 hours without coming out from what I know of. He doesn't seem to be exploring the tank as much any longer, which I hear is supposedly a good thing!

Just curious what your own experiences have been! I apologize if I sound like a total noob and this is a common/annoying question around here! ♥

[Gocntry]

So I overheard somewhere (here, or a Facebook group, I cannot remember) someone say "a hiding ball is a happy ball." Do you find this to be true? Since I'm so new at this, I wanna ensure I'm doing EVERYTHING in my power to make sure our little guy has the happiest life imaginable. He's still adjusting, but is finally starting to use his hides. He has technically "four" of them in his enclosure (one of them is the Exo Terra skull and it doesn't really feel like a true hide to me, and the other is a log hide which he seems to enjoy), but he's starting to utilize the biggest hide in the enclosure and has now been in there almost 24 hours without coming out from what I know of. He doesn't seem to be exploring the tank as much any longer, which I hear is supposedly a good thing!

Just curious what your own experiences have been! I apologize if I sound like a total noob and this is a common/annoying question around here! ♥

Compared to my Corn and my Boa, my BP's are always in their hides, I can catch one peeking out occasionally (as in head only peeking out).

Very rarely I'll catch one fully out and exploring, If I set up a camera I could probably catch them out and about in the middle of the night, But with my schedule bedtime is 10:30pm for me, so I'm not up very late looking for them.

[Bogertophis]

Great question:
Hiding is normal for snakes...it's how they survive in the wild. I'm not sure 'happy' is the right term, but it's close enough.

Hides come in all shapes & sizes...not all of them make snakes equally 'happy'. What snakes want is to feel "secure", & for that, experience tells us they favor hides
that are just slightly bigger than the coiled snake, hides that offer "back pressure" (feeling snug, so nothing can sneak up on them) and only one doorway that's just
big enough for them to fit thru (with a meal, don't forget that, lol).

Things like "skulls" or open-ended half-logs make for nice cage decor & "clutter" (snakes prefer not to feel out in the open where predators tend to swoop down & eat
them) but sorry, they aren't really good "hides". While I'm on the subject, never put in any decor that a snake can get stuck in...trust me, it happens, & unless you can
watch over your snake 24/7, sooner or later it will. Wild snakes get stuck in fences & bird netting because their scales are directional & can prevent them from backing
out- they die of exposure or when predators find & eat them when they're helplessly stuck. Our pets can likewise get stuck in the eye-sockets of skulls, or in holes in
driftwood used, or in those cholla logs that I wish they didn't sell. It's up to us to think ahead & either don't use the item, or fix it to make it safe. (I've plugged drift-
wood with a cork glued into place, for example.)

Snakes do best with one hide unheated & one with heat. That's because they mostly choose to feel "secure" over the right temperature IF they are forced to choose.
As good keepers, our goal is to make it so they don't have to choose an improper temperature for digestion, so we give 2 equal hides, one with & one without heat.

As far as the size of hides: it's not practical to buy new hides every time our snakes grow. A larger hide can be filled up to feel snug just by wadding paper towels or
other substrate for the time being. Even various sized clean cardboard boxes can be used, then tossed when dirty -they'll get dirty long before they're too small.
Creativity is fine when creating hides for snakes, as long as it's safe. Really small snakes even like cardboard paper towel rolls: yes, they're open-ended but they can
be flattened somewhat & then buried in substrate; depending on the kind of snake you have, this is a fun option for them. You'll get a sense what your snake likes-
they can be "opinionated" too.

BTW, BPs do more than their share of "hiding" since they're "ambush-predators".

[Craiga 01453]

That's not a silly question at all. Great question actually. And definitely don't apologize for asking questions, it shows you care...

The behavior you're describing sounds pretty spot on to me. The saying "a hiding ball is a happy ball" is pretty true in my experience. That being said, it's not at all uncommon for them to explore at night. So don't mistake exploring for stress.
I think your understanding is pretty solid and you'll know how to identify a "stressed" snake. You seem like you've got a good head on your shoulders and I think you'll be a great snake keeper. So I think you'll be able to identify stress if you see it. But just because a BP isn't hiding doesn't mean he isn't happy. They do explore. Just keep an eye out for spastic movements, excessive and rapid tongue flicks and increasingly noticable breathing.
Their movements should be slow and calculated, with calm tongue flicks.

Again, don't be afraid to ask questions, that's how we learn

[wonderwhitters]

I appreciate y'all and your awesome responses! ♥

[Craiga 01453]

I appreciate y'all and your awesome responses! ♥

Isn't this forum great?!?!? I wish it was around when I started out! I had to go to the library and read books to learn! Ugggh I'm old, hahahha

[Bogertophis]

Isn't this forum great?!?!? I wish it was around when I started out! I had to go to the library and read books to learn! Ugggh I'm old, hahahha

Oh c'mon...you're just a baby! I had to read from carved-rock tablets...

(the old books weren't much help anyway...)

[Craiga 01453]

Oh c'mon...you're just a baby! I had to read from carved-rock tablets...

(the old books weren't much help anyway...)

I bet you a decent percentage of this forum doesn't remember card catalogs or Dewey decimal system!!! Hahaha

And no, looking back the books really weren't very informative

[Gocntry]

I bet you a decent percentage of this forum doesn't remember card catalogs or Dewey decimal system!!! Hahaha

And no, looking back the books really weren't very informative

Uhh I do, used those in school Ugh I must be old too I was a kid when we didn't have cell phones, microwaves, home computers ect

I was in high school when we 1st got cable, and MTV wasn't on the air yet

[wonderwhitters]

Isn't this forum great?!?!? I wish it was around when I started out! I had to go to the library and read books to learn! Ugggh I'm old, hahahha

It really has been wonderful so far! I'm quite pleased and happy to meet everyone. And hey... sometimes I miss the library days. There's something classic & nostalgic about wandering around trying to find the book you are looking for!