Ok..gonna try and answer as much as I can. The snakes in a tank thats probably 10 gallons or so with one hide. I usually keep the hide about in the middle of the tank and heat is regulated with two lights, one for the day and one at night. Im using natural shavings for substrate. and it was just cleaned about 2 weeks ago, right after the last shed. Not sure if its male or female or a weight. Im feeding F/T small mice. Never had a problem with it eating before.