I recently (19 days ago) got my first BP. I have spent every free moment pouring through the internet, the forums here, and books trying to absorb as much information as possible to provide the best care I can. That said, I think I may have made a mistake and I would appreciate feedback from the group here. My (unsexed/unnamed) BP has done incredibly well in terms of feeding (3 f/t adult mice in total, on a 5 day schedule). However, last Friday I went to handle it for a bit and found those blue eyes staring out at me, so I decided to leave it be, rather than add additional stress or risk affecting the shed. Monday was feeding day, so I went ahead and attempted to feed. The snake (I know, I hate it too, but I don't want to take it to be sexed until the shed is complete) struck once but missed slightly, then retreated as if no longer interested. Warming the mouse back up had little effect, so somewhere in my brilliant mind I decided that lifting the hide (warm side) might help induce the feeding reaction. Instead it prompted the snake to relocate to another hide (one of those ceramic half logs, meant for enrichment, not hiding) which is in roughly the middle of the enclosure, where the surface temp is about 2-3 degrees lower than being directly over the UTH in the warm hide. It has not come back out since, and it is now Wednesday morning.

It seems clear to me that lifting the hide was a stupid decision, my question for the group is, should I leave it alone and trust that the snake is regulating its temp, or should I try to get it back to the warm side. I have packed one end of the half log with damp moss to try to ensure good humidity in the current position, but past that, I am unsure of the right course of action.

Thank you all in advance for any feedback!