I recently moved Shen into a new, larger tank and decorated it up the wazoo and put three different hides in so he'd feel nice and comfy. And so far he seems to love his new setup, he comes out at night and cruises around and tries to pretend he's a tree-snake and climbs up the vines and foliage....

However, I got him two new hides, one for the hot end and one for the cool end. His old hide is in the middle, around 84-85'F. I put the new hide on the hot spot because it was a little bigger since he's grown quite a bit, and his butt hangs out of his old one. I thought he'd like a little more room while still staying snuggly. But he won't use either of the new hides, he stays in his old one. At first I thought this was maybe because he hadn't eaten in a bit (I didn't want to move him after eating to avoid stressing him) and didn't need to lie over the hotspot, but last night I fed him a large mouse and he wolfed it down and then stretched out in the hot area for few hours, then wandered back to his old hide.

???

Should I move his old hide to the hot spot or let him regulate his temperature as he sees fit? I worry if the middle zone is too cold for him to digest his food properly, and he won't move to the proper temp because he doesn't like the new hide.

Any advice? I had no idea they could be so picky about hides.