soo ive tested this out for about two weeks now and i can officially say if she has the hide then anytime i try to remove her for feeding or cleaning she is extremely flighty and not like a ball pythons slow get away moves no like holding a freaked out milk snake no exaggeration here. kept the hide out for a week again monitored closely and she is very chill now, still alert, not stressed and ate for me as soon as i put the steak in her feeding tub. so as long as my girl charlotte looks and acts as though she is not stressed im going with the visual ques here. i think its really her personality my boy is like Spencer said ok either way so ill give him his hides. sorry if the no hide treatment offends you and yes she does thermo regulate without the hide as i have her in a low traffic area.