Reptile & Amphibian Forums

When is good visual sign that a hide needs to be changed for a larger one?

I know this sounds like an easy question to answer...but...

The snake has plenty of room when theres no food in its stomach. In fact it has more than enough room to fit its whole body in. But once fed, the hide no longer fits at all for about 1 week until the food digests. Should i move up in hide size?
Snake is almost 3yrs and 2000 grams and just moved to a tank ( from a tub) where she eats far better believe it or not. My local breeder says to leave it be but what does he know...he forgets his own name sometimes.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks everyone!

Is there enough room in his new enclosure to put the new bigger hide next to the old smaller one? If so, put them both in and let him decide which one he wants If not then my vote is go with the bigger one so he can get into it when he's full which is when he'd want to be in there the most.

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Slytherin Serpents

Have you been hugged by your snake today?

Ball Pythons
1.1 Het Caramels (Edward & Bella)
0.1 Normal 66% ph Caramel (Rosalie)
1.1 Caramels (Crookshanks & Bellatrix)
1.0 Honey Bee (Aragog)
0.1 Hypo Pastel (Nagini)
0.1 Spider 66% ph Hypo(Nymphadora)
1.0 Mojave (Lucius)
1.1 Pastel Lessers (Jacob & Narcissa)
0.1 Pinstripe (Arwen)
1.0 Pewter (Salazar)
0.1 Bumble Bee (Alice)
1.0 Bell Pastel (Jasper)
0.1 African Dinker (Esme)
0.1 Het Pied
0.1 Hypo Cinny (Myrtle)
1.0 Cinny het Hypo poss het Albino
1.1 Pastel Dinkers (Snape & Xiomara)
0.2 Ghana Dinker Babies
0.0.3 CH Dinker Babies

Corns
1.1 Normals het Amel, Anery, Charcoal, Diffused, Hypo (Romeo & Juliet)
1.0 Blizzard het Diffused (Tumnus)
1.0 Blizzard poss het Anery, Hypo, Diffused (Cotton)
0.1 Anery Lavender het Amel (Lucy)
0.1 Plasma poss het Hypo (Victoria)
1.0 Plasma poss het Albino
1.0 Hypo Plasma
1.1 Amel Motleys (Harry & Ginny)
0.1 Lavender Motley poss het diffused
1.0 Lavender Pinstripe Motley het Amel
0.1 Fire poss het Anery, Charcoal, Hypo (LeeLoo)
0.1 Normal het Albino, Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused
1.0 Albino het Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused
1.1 Sunkissed poss het Plasma (Arthur & Molly)
0.1 Dilute Blue Motley (Myrtle)
1.0 Pastel Motley (Nick)
0.1 Diffused Caramel
1.0 Blizzard 66% poss het Diffused
1.0 Pewter het Albino
0.1 Fire het Charcoal

Thayeri Kings
0.1 Leonis phase (Sidney)
1.0 Milk Snake phase

Milks
1.1 Tangerine Albino Hondurans
0.1 Hypo Tangerine Albino Honduran

I cant ad both. In fact the enclosure is big enough to fit 2 of the smaller hide boxes but only one of the larger ones. Is one hide box ok?

Also, the snake rarely uses its warm side hide box prefering instead to bask on a branch above it occasionally. Would it be ok to remove the warm side hide and use a larger hide on the cool end?

Thanks again

Bummer. What size is the tank?

.
-----
Slytherin Serpents

Have you been hugged by your snake today?

Ball Pythons
1.1 Het Caramels (Edward & Bella)
0.1 Normal 66% ph Caramel (Rosalie)
1.1 Caramels (Crookshanks & Bellatrix)
1.0 Honey Bee (Aragog)
0.1 Hypo Pastel (Nagini)
0.1 Spider 66% ph Hypo(Nymphadora)
1.0 Mojave (Lucius)
1.1 Pastel Lessers (Jacob & Narcissa)
0.1 Pinstripe (Arwen)
1.0 Pewter (Salazar)
0.1 Bumble Bee (Alice)
1.0 Bell Pastel (Jasper)
0.1 African Dinker (Esme)
0.1 Het Pied
0.1 Hypo Cinny (Myrtle)
1.0 Cinny het Hypo poss het Albino
1.1 Pastel Dinkers (Snape & Xiomara)
0.2 Ghana Dinker Babies
0.0.3 CH Dinker Babies

Corns
1.1 Normals het Amel, Anery, Charcoal, Diffused, Hypo (Romeo & Juliet)
1.0 Blizzard het Diffused (Tumnus)
1.0 Blizzard poss het Anery, Hypo, Diffused (Cotton)
0.1 Anery Lavender het Amel (Lucy)
0.1 Plasma poss het Hypo (Victoria)
1.0 Plasma poss het Albino
1.0 Hypo Plasma
1.1 Amel Motleys (Harry & Ginny)
0.1 Lavender Motley poss het diffused
1.0 Lavender Pinstripe Motley het Amel
0.1 Fire poss het Anery, Charcoal, Hypo (LeeLoo)
0.1 Normal het Albino, Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused
1.0 Albino het Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused
1.1 Sunkissed poss het Plasma (Arthur & Molly)
0.1 Dilute Blue Motley (Myrtle)
1.0 Pastel Motley (Nick)
0.1 Diffused Caramel
1.0 Blizzard 66% poss het Diffused
1.0 Pewter het Albino
0.1 Fire het Charcoal

Thayeri Kings
0.1 Leonis phase (Sidney)
1.0 Milk Snake phase

Milks
1.1 Tangerine Albino Hondurans
0.1 Hypo Tangerine Albino Honduran

30gal breeder with a pvc pipe jungle gym running through the unit making it tough to ad 2 large hides, but can manage 1. As i type the snake it just basking rather than using the warm side hide. Its a funny snake.
Will 1 hide on the cool end be ok? Or should i stick with 2?

Thanks so much for your quick responses!

Sounds interesting. I've only used 40 breeders for adult snakes so am not sure on dimension of a 30. Would love to see a picture of the jungle gym. Two hides is better if you can manage. Is there an UTH as well as the heat lamp on the warm side?

.
-----
Slytherin Serpents

Have you been hugged by your snake today?

Ball Pythons
1.1 Het Caramels (Edward & Bella)
0.1 Normal 66% ph Caramel (Rosalie)
1.1 Caramels (Crookshanks & Bellatrix)
1.0 Honey Bee (Aragog)
0.1 Hypo Pastel (Nagini)
0.1 Spider 66% ph Hypo(Nymphadora)
1.0 Mojave (Lucius)
1.1 Pastel Lessers (Jacob & Narcissa)
0.1 Pinstripe (Arwen)
1.0 Pewter (Salazar)
0.1 Bumble Bee (Alice)
1.0 Bell Pastel (Jasper)
0.1 African Dinker (Esme)
0.1 Het Pied
0.1 Hypo Cinny (Myrtle)
1.0 Cinny het Hypo poss het Albino
1.1 Pastel Dinkers (Snape & Xiomara)
0.2 Ghana Dinker Babies
0.0.3 CH Dinker Babies

Corns
1.1 Normals het Amel, Anery, Charcoal, Diffused, Hypo (Romeo & Juliet)
1.0 Blizzard het Diffused (Tumnus)
1.0 Blizzard poss het Anery, Hypo, Diffused (Cotton)
0.1 Anery Lavender het Amel (Lucy)
0.1 Plasma poss het Hypo (Victoria)
1.0 Plasma poss het Albino
1.0 Hypo Plasma
1.1 Amel Motleys (Harry & Ginny)
0.1 Lavender Motley poss het diffused
1.0 Lavender Pinstripe Motley het Amel
0.1 Fire poss het Anery, Charcoal, Hypo (LeeLoo)
0.1 Normal het Albino, Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused
1.0 Albino het Lavender, Anery, Charcoal, poss het Diffused
1.1 Sunkissed poss het Plasma (Arthur & Molly)
0.1 Dilute Blue Motley (Myrtle)
1.0 Pastel Motley (Nick)
0.1 Diffused Caramel
1.0 Blizzard 66% poss het Diffused
1.0 Pewter het Albino
0.1 Fire het Charcoal

Thayeri Kings
0.1 Leonis phase (Sidney)
1.0 Milk Snake phase

Milks
1.1 Tangerine Albino Hondurans
0.1 Hypo Tangerine Albino Honduran