must I use hide box for shy ball python?

[bcr229]

I give all my snakes hideboxes whether they want them or not

I let mine tell me if they want them. A few are around 1100 grams and don't need them, while one 1600 gram female rarely exits hers.

[AlexisFitzy]

I let mine tell me if they want them. A few are around 1100 grams and don't need them, while one 1600 gram female rarely exits hers.

I agree with this. I have an extremely shy girl that's either hiding in her hide or under the paper towels. Always hiding lol. But my other 2 can be content without a hide but I just provide everyone with one anyway. It doesn't hurt. Extra security never hurts


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[alan12013]

I agree some will avoid most of the common hides that people use. I have a couple real big girls that refused a lot of the hides I put in there even the creative ones but I kept at it and have managed to find something for each of them. It's just my way of doing it so I'm not passing judgement. I really like trying to give them options since they have options in the wild. I haven't heard of many Ball Pythons spending their lives in the open when they have choices so I'm willing to work with them a bit since they rely on me. About a month ago I had an employee tell me I was running a puppy mill of snakes since I kept them in tubs and that really got me thinking about the way I do things. I am pro tub though so I explained to her that they're a great way to control the temps and humidity.

[angllady2]

I'd just like to point out, most big breeder's who don't use hides ? They use rack systems and the tubs are dark enough and secure enough at the back that hides are redundant. If your setup isn't like that, I'd use a hide.

Gale

[alan12013]

These are the racks that I want: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FISvBydm6qM It has a built in hide and place for water bowls. Supposedly this hide works really well for picky eaters as it ensures a dark tighter hide in the back of the tub.