I used to use them, but I took out the hides when my girl started laying on them and crushing them. She rarely used them anyway, she always curled up around or on the hides. I was saving up to order some larger, more sturdy hides (finding already-made hides for a 6-7ft. snake is harder than you'd think) but during that time she didn't seem to care about having a hide or not. She hasn't stopped eating and hasn't changed her behavior so I haven't really been in a rush to buy new ones. Instead we're planning to build "hides" using fake greenery and such. That way, even if she doesn't use them, they at least look pretty.