I don't use hides with Boas, only Rosy Boas anyways. My RedTails are all without hides...all 13 of them. The three Dumerils I have all get plenty of crumpled newspaper to crawl through and feel secure in, but the redtails could all care less. You could throw it in there and see what he/she does with it and then go from there whether or not to continue using it or not. That's my guess. Good luck.