BP not hiding?

[blueberrypancakes]

I hear that a hiding BP is a happy BP... At first, Jackson spent the majority of his time in his favorite hide, now he just chills out in the open. I like it 'cause i can see him, but I also want him to be a happy snake. Is there something wrong with this picture? He has three hides to choose from, but generally, unless there is alot of activity in my bedroom, I see him just hanging out.

[xdeus]

Some use their hides, some don't. It's nothing to be concerned about. As long as he's eating and healthy, it's all good.

Just a side note, though. Hides can get much warmer than the rest of the cage, so it's a good idea to get accurate temps in the hide instead of just on the substrate.

[FatBoy]

Agree...if he is eating it's ok. You can tinker though to see if there is something wrong. Post a pic of your set up if you can, if not explain it to us. Type of tank, size, decorations, heat source, location in the house, etc.

[blueberrypancakes]

It is a 30 gallon tank with paper towel substrate. I have a UTH as well as a heating lamp, and the lamp is hooked up to a thermostat. He has two water bowls, one deep one shallow, the deep one is under the lamp to assist in humidity. My temps on the hot side are set at 92, the cool side is about 80-85. He has one plastic rock hide, one half log (small), and his favorite- a horribly difficult to clean abnormally shaped hunk of wood. (don't know what kind it is, but I got it in a reptile specialty shop).

[FatBoy]

Don't want to speculate so I will drop some opinionated facts. 30gal is too large for most BPs. The more open area they have the more stress. Small BPs need no more than a 5-10g tank with larger ones in a 20 long. Covering 3 sides of the tank is helpful also with security. Hides need to be something he can actually get in to "get away" from everything. Needs to be enclosed with just an opening for him to crawl in and out. Half logs are typically not good hides. I say this assuming that the issue is security, it normally is. Usually making somw very simple changes can fix a lot. Remember, rules of keeping BPs are not sketched in stone and can vary a lot...just making some suggestions.

[Skittles1101]

In my experience, unless you keep your house very cold, a heat lamp AND a UTH without a thermostat is making it way too hot. How are you reading these temps because my small zoomed UTH reaches over 130 degrees without a thermostat....