Anyone else experience this? Always in cool side hide?

[BostonMacK]

Hey guys, I have had my almost 1 year old boy for about 5 months or so and he is now starting to change his routine. I have noticed that for the last two weeks plus he hasnt been in his hot side hide at all. In the past he would make the occasional journey to the hot side yet he always seemed to favor the cool side more. I have seen him roaming late at night if I wake up to go the bathroom but he hasnt been going in for a nap on the hotside at all.

He has two identical hides, temps are steady at 92/84 with a 54% humidity level. I double check his thermometer readings with a temp gun and it is always within a degree of what his thermometer says. He has eaten like a monster every week I had had him and has had two perfect sheds thus far. He seems good but ya never know.

Is this typical behavior for a ball python? Just trying to see if this is normal stuff or something to worry about. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[lord jackel]

Well a guess would be for the past 2-3 weeks the US has been under an abnormal heat wave so it is possible the ambient temp in his cage/tub has changed...gone up. You may not notice it under the hides but the overall temp could have increased.

I have seen a similar situation for me as I have a heater for the room but don't cool it (never needed to) so the temp in the room has increased a few degrees (nothing dangerous for them but could make them spend more time on the cool side)

Has the room temp increased at all?

[bearhart]

mine spends almost all his time in the warm side

is the cage clean? I've found that fairly subtle things can deter them from using a hide. Once mine messed in his warm hide and I spot-cleaned the cage. I must have missed something because he wouldn't go in there for days. I had to go back and make sure I replaced all the bedding in that half of the cage before he'd return.

[Bruce Wigness]

Let me make sure I understand, for 5 months, he's "eating like a monster" and you think there's something wrong because he's active, right?

I have several that have histories of fasting for 4-9 months, while staying in their favorite hides, that I will offer in a 1-to-1 straight-up trade if you're interested.

Seriously BostonMack, I think he's just doing what's natural, which is to regulate his conditions by crawling to where he's most comfortable. I wouldn't change a thing.

Good luck!

[harfieldthethirsty]

My female maggie is almost always in her cool hide 84, unless she has a full belly. She pigs out and is totally healthy. I wouldnt worry balls will be balls.

[Peter Williams]

I just experienced this for the last week, and I discovered why, there was a big fat turd in his hot side hide. You should probably check his.

[XIII]

I wouldnt worry balls will be balls.

I think that sums up this thread perfectly.

[fishmommy]

mine does that too. He roams on the hot side at night, but during the day he is mostly on the cool side, with some forays into the hide I have in the center of the cage.
I think this is normal.....just picking the best temp for sleeping.

I did some experiments, lowering the thermostat target temp by one degree a day for 5 days...eventually he switched sides. So now I know that his threshold temp for comfort is about 76 degrees So now I keep his cool side at 80 and am saving a couple of bucks!

He does like to poop in his warm side hide though...but like you I am meticulous about cleaning each and every day.

[muddoc]

All I can add to this thread is the following. I like my house to be at about 68 degrees and my wife likes it to be 75 degrees. Just as different people have different comfort zones, so do individual snakes. I have some of my snakes that have been in my collection for 3 plus years, and I never see them on the hot side. Meanwhile the snake below them in the rack will never go to the cool side. I guess each snake is individual, and will have a preference, and will satisfy itself the best way it can. Hope that helps.

[bearhart]

From the posts here it sounds like he's safe. But, I would be interested in any change in behavior. You might try switching the hides and see if that changes things.