Hides are useful for both security and providing micro-climates. It is often far more humid in the hide than out( depending on hide and setup) . That being said I'm not sure if it would always be 100% necessary and may depend on other factors like your warm / cool side temps, the humidity, is there anything else in the enclosure? I feel like a snake in an open 6qt tub out of a rack would feel awfully exposed.
Pictures always help.
I would wait for someone with more experience to weigh in but I'm going to go with probably, but maybe not always.

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