Hiding under water bowl??

[spellbound04]

My ball python has a weird habit of if his water dish gets low on water he will burrow underneath it and curl up inside the empty space under the bowl. It makes me nervous when he's there and I dont want to add water to the bowl in case it becomes too heavy for him to lift to get out so I coax him out by putting him near his other hides. Over time he'll slowly move into that hide but it takes a long time and he seems like he isn't as happy there. He has two hides, one on the cool side and one on the hot side, should I put more? Should they be tighter so he's extra snug? (Right now he has some room in them) does it mean he's too hot/cold? For refrence, he ate about three days ago and is going to shed in the next week or so I think. His temps are 80s on the cool side and 90s on the hot side, and his humidity is admittedly often not as high as it should be (usually around 40%-50%)

[embrit345]

One of my males consistently uses under his water bowl regardless of how many or the style of hides I offer him, it's his safe place xx


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[spellbound04]

One of my males consistently uses under his water bowl regardless of how many or the style of hides I offer him, it's his safe place xx


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OK that makes me feel better lol, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't because I was missing something he needed! 🐍

[Albert Clark]

It's actually pretty normal for ball pythons to seek out spaces that are tightly fitting to and around their bodies. They are a positive thigmotactic species which means they seek out the comfort and security of objects in close contact with their body. The humidity percentage under the water bowl is probably a bit higher there also thus another reason for him to seek that out occasionally.

[Hannahshissyfix]

He may be hot, he may want a more tight hide, he may just be weird like most bps. When you say "in the 90s" and "in the 80s" do you mean much over those temps? He should be able to access an area at 80 and not over 92 so if he's constantly over 85 he's probably hot.

[spellbound04]

He may be hot, he may want a more tight hide, he may just be weird like most bps. When you say "in the 90s" and "in the 80s" do you mean much over those temps? He should be able to access an area at 80 and not over 92 so if he's constantly over 85 he's probably hot.

No I keep his temps at around there. I only use a uth to heat the cool side so it stays pretty cool but I will keep a closer eye on them just to be sure. I'm actually in the market for a thermostat that keeps the temperatures on a timer and has probes for both sides because right bow I'm only using one sensor and have to manually deal with his lights and it can cause inconsistencies. So if you have any reccomendations for that it'd be very helpful!

[Albert Clark]

No I keep his temps at around there. I only use a uth to heat the cool side so it stays pretty cool but I will keep a closer eye on them just to be sure. I'm actually in the market for a thermostat that keeps the temperatures on a timer and has probes for both sides because right bow I'm only using one sensor and have to manually deal with his lights and it can cause inconsistencies. So if you have any reccomendations for that it'd be very helpful!

. You really have to unplug the uth if it's not being regulated by a thermostat / rheostat already. They really get way too hot unregulated. That is for the safety of the animal and the risk of fire in your home!!

[spellbound04]

. You really have to unplug the uth if it's not being regulated by a thermostat / rheostat already. They really get way too hot unregulated. That is for the safety of the animal and the risk of fire in your home!!

Wow I didnt know that, thank you so much, I will change that right away.