
The animal will feel more secure if the hide stays put. You don't want it to slide around when the snake tries to enter it. It's also important to choose a hide that will stay in place inside the cage.

So these types of hides will last a long time, probably for the entire life of your pet snake. On the other hand, a hide made of plastic, ceramic or stone can be washed as needed. You can't wash cardboard either, so you'll be replacing your hides continuously. Cardboard soaks up water, urine and fecal matter, and is thus a perfect breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Many people use cardboard hides (such as paper towel rolls, shoe boxes, etc.). It should have privacy on both ends of the temperature spectrum. You don't want to force the animal to choose between privacy and temperature. When it needs to cool down, it can hide on the cooler side of the cage. When the snake needs to warm up, it can move to a secure location on the warm side of the habitat.

(You do have a thermal gradient in your enclosure, don't you?) Placing a hide on both sides of the cage will encourage the natural act of thermoregulation. I recommend putting one on the warmer side of the cage, and one on the cooler side. One snake hide is good, but having two is even better. So, simply by providing hides in your pet snake's habitat, you will greatly increase the chance the animal will eat on a regular basis. When snakes have a place to retreat, they will feel more secure in their surroundings and will be more inclined to practice their natural habits, such as eating. There's no comparison, is there? Birds are comfortable being out in the open, while snakes prefer to remain unseen. Think about the number of birds and squirrels you see in the wild, compared to the number of snakes you see in the wild. It should be allowed to pursue its natural behavior, as much as possible. So a pet snake in captivity should also have places to hide. They can often be found in underground burrows made by other animals, underneath rocks and logs, etc. In nature, they basically move from one hiding place to another in search of food, while trying to avoid becoming food at the same time. This is crucial to the long-term health of your snake. This includes giving your snake some hiding areas, so it can feel secure within its environment. In order to do that, you must duplicate certain aspects of the snake's natural habitat. You obviously want to keep your pet as healthy as possible, for many years to come. Why does a pet snake need a hiding area within its cage, and how do you provide one? Let's start by talking about your goals as a snake keeper. I refer to these as snake hides, and we will discuss them in great detail in this article.

You must support this natural behavior by offering some hiding spots inside the snake cage. Even in captivity, a pet snake will have this same instinct to hide under things. They do this to protect themselves from other predators. In the wild, snakes spend a lot of their time hiding in holes or under rocks and logs. © 2019, Brandon Cornett | All rights reserved Oh and another thing, they are both identical hides.Reptile care > Snake hides The Importance of Snake Hides for Your Pet Snake So whats the deal? why is he choosing the be cold when the hot hide is perfect heat. Now i have been checking these temps with my PE2 all day long so i know they are accurate. And the ambient temp is between 86-90 and humidity 57-70. Now i know what alot of you are thinking, so let me get it straight, my temp gun has my hot side hide at 95 under the bedding, and 91 or so on the bedding, so NO its not that the UTH is too hot, i been getting these readings persistently. Ok so i got a new pastel on thursday (fed ex overnight) the snake is about as perfect as u can get, very healthy, good eater, in fact the breeder told me to try and feed him the day after i got him, i was reluctant but i threw in a white mice on friday (just one day after i received him) and he took him down like a champ! Now ever since friday night after he ate he moved from the hot side hide to the cold side, and has not left it for 2 days, now i know this could be because hes shedding but the curiosity got to me and i lifted the hide and picked him up, now this was 48hrs after he ate, and his body felt cold, my temp gun red his surface body temp at 79! so i persuaded him into his hot side hide, this was last night, today i wake up in the morning and i see he left the hot hide and went into his cold hide! I once again persueded him into his hot side hide where he has been the last hour.
