That's exactly what my guy did, he explored for a long time and then made his way over to his hide. Its possible he forgot where his hides are in his tank because he's not used to it. Its likely he's just observing everything. If he isn't tightly coiled or in and s-shape he probably isn't stressed. I've never seen a f-t mouse cut in half (I get mine from pet smart/co bc it's nearby, but maybe they do it like that where you purchase yours. Id make sure though. Hope this helps.