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Tomsey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not entirely necessary but they're nice to have. Depends on the individual snake. If it's not eating well, or showing other signs of stess, give it a hidebox.

Tomsey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would say 100% .

A happy ball is a hidden ball. And baby balls just want to hide.

Even if a baby ball could be kept happily without hides, why would you bother? They take 2 seconds to make and have absolutley NO negative drawbacks.

Give snakey the option to hide or not ... I GUARANTEE you that he will be in a hide 23.75 hours a day.

Joel
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1.1 Ball Python
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.0 Blair's Phase Gray Banded Kingsnake
2.1.1 Leopard Geckos
2.0 Crested Geckos

When I mentioned a few days ago that I was buying those half-log Habba Huts for my new arrivals (next Wednesday), I was told to buy a "real" hide. This has spwaned the question...what makes the best hide?

I know of the flower pot base...what makes it best?

Making a Happy Herp Home,
Chris

The flower pot bases are the best hides, IMHO.

I have used both the ceramic terra cotta ones as well as the plastic ones (dark green).

Both are good but I like the ceramic onces the best, for a few reasons:

1) They're heavy ... snakey cant move 'em around too much or lift 'em ... I use the point when they can lie under it and the whole thing is off the ground as a sign that they are ready for an upgrade.

2) They are porous. When a BP is in shed, I place a wet t-shirt over the terra cotta hide on the warm side. Slowly, the ceramice pot sucks out the water from the t-shirt and releases it into the hide. The snake is never wet, but very humid and this results in good sheds.

3) Because it is ceramic and will conduct some heat, the entire hide will get a little warm on the warm side, and stay cool on the cool side.

4) The come in different sizes. My female BP Andy was started as a baby on 4" diameter plant bases ... upgraded over the months / years to 6" diameter, 8", 10", 12" and just recently to a 12" terra cotter planter itself, not the base. You'd be surprised how big a snake can squeeze into a hide 6" high and 12" in diameter ... Andy weighs over 2000 grams.

In conclusion, the terra cotta plants are cheap, serve their purpose beautifully and are "expendable."

You just have to get good at smacking a hole in them!

Joel
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1.1 Ball Python
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.0 Blair's Phase Gray Banded Kingsnake
2.1.1 Leopard Geckos
2.0 Crested Geckos