Hides

[Vader6]

Alright well I've looking this up by searching and found some good info but not everything I needed. Here is the situation:
My pastel is in his cage now for 4 days now. I handle him once a day or so. ( I know some places say not to touch him for a week but he's my pet and doesn't seem to be stressed and very active!!) Now when I put him in a hide, normally the hot hide after handling he chills and doesn't leave til night when he wonders. But other than that I haven't ever seen him in his hides. ( I did just get new ones today that fit better the other ones were to big) He really doesn't wonder all that much but rather during the day I'll catch him curled up on the side of the hide next to the vines and sorta hidden and places like that. I know if he's all over the place all the times that means he is stressed but he chills, bask and goes in his hides for a LONG time when I aid him into them. Is this bad or is he just not like hides.
Temps are as follows:

Ambient all around is about 81-83
Cool hide is 74-77
Hot hide is 90-94
Humidity is 59%

It's ALL perfect idk if I'm just paranoid or what. It's 12:23 and I'm doing HW and he is "basking" under the red light in his tree watching me.

[Vader6]

Also just to throw this out there he being fed tom at around 9 so I haven't handled him since 9 for the 24 hour thing. And won't after feeding either. I hope he eats. The breeder told me he ate 2 fuzzies last week and it has been 4 days with me and I know about 6 days sine he last ate. I hope he eats or I'm gonna think something is wrong.

[jjmitchell]

Well dont freak out... 94 is a bit high for my liking... but if your temps are good, I wouldnt worry about it much... balls all seem to have different personalities.... I have some dont like to be held much others climb out on you while you are trying to clean up or water everybody.... I wouldnt stress over him not using his hides... You said fuzzy I am assuming you mean rat, if for some strange reason your not get em on rats... better for em... other than that dont stress it very low maintanence animals....

[joshn6805]

How are you heating the enclosure?

[Vader6]

How are you heating the enclosure?

10-20 gallon UTH for the hot side/hot hide.
Over head lamp for the ambient temps. Use the Sun Glo bulb 75 watt during the day and the Inferred Night bulb 75 watt at night. I'm liking the red one better now a days it's keeping my humidity at an awesome %.

[RichsBallPythons]

Ambient all around is about 81-83
Cool hide is 74-77
Hot hide is 90-94
Humidity is 59%

It's ALL perfect idk if I'm just paranoid or what. It's 12:23 and I'm doing HW and he is "basking" under the red light in his tree watching me.

IS it just me or do those cool side sound weird. Theres no way your going ot have a ambient of 81 and still have a 74-77 cool side. You need s 80 cool side and ambeint in the 80s. Achieved by heating your room with a space heater or adding another Heating pad to the cool side.



Also constant roaming for a younger ball is signs of stress. What size tank is he in and how big the snakes(weight). You cant know if the snake is stressed cause you think everything is perfect. You need to learn to read the snakes body language to know for sure. And handling him in the first week is just adding to that stress each time.

[joshn6805]

10-20 gallon UTH for the hot side/hot hide.
Over head lamp for the ambient temps. Use the Sun Glo bulb 75 watt during the day and the Inferred Night bulb 75 watt at night. I'm liking the red one better now a days it's keeping my humidity at an awesome %.

No need for the lights, they don't benefit the snake at all and just mess your humidity up and use up energy.

[Vader6]

Well dont freak out... 94 is a bit high for my liking... but if your temps are good, I wouldnt worry about it much... balls all seem to have different personalities.... I have some dont like to be held much others climb out on you while you are trying to clean up or water everybody.... I wouldnt stress over him not using his hides... You said fuzzy I am assuming you mean rat, if for some strange reason your not get em on rats... better for em... other than that dont stress it very low maintanence animals....

Thanks I'm just a worry wart when it comes to my animals. As for food I think they are rat fuzzies. Breeder gave me like 3 for his next feeding. They are about an 1.5 inch long and .3 or so inch wide. I know I need to feed him 2 of these but I wanna shoot for 3. While I'm at it I feed him these all at one time right? Like he gets the first one down then give him another then the last one?

[joshn6805]

Thanks I'm just a worry wart when it comes to my animals. As for food I think they are rat fuzzies. Breeder gave me like 3 for his next feeding. They are about an 1.5 inch long and .3 or so inch wide. I know I need to feed him 2 of these but I wanna shoot for 3. While I'm at it I feed him these all at one time right? Like he gets the first one down then give him another then the last one?

One rat that is as big around as the snake at its biggest section, thats the general rule I go by when feeding.

[Vader6]

IS it just me or do those cool side sound weird. Theres no way your going ot have a ambient of 81 and still have a 74-77 cool side. You need s 80 cool side and ambeint in the 80s. Achieved by heating your room with a space heater or adding another Heating pad to the cool side.



Also constant roaming for a younger ball is signs of stress. What size tank is he in and how big the snakes(weight). You cant know if the snake is stressed cause you think everything is perfect. You need to learn to read the snakes body language to know for sure. And handling him in the first week is just adding to that stress each time.

Yea I'm going to stop handling him for a bit. And when I said cool hide. I have 2 acu-rites on is on the cool side reading 83 for the "inside" temp and the probe is in the hide reading a 77 degree. The hot side is set up the same way just with the acu-rite for that side more toward the center to get more or an ambient reading for the cage for the "inside" temp.
Snake is 76 grams at last weighing by the breeder and he is in a 20 gallon long tank. Hides are from Reptile Basics and fit him soooo great now. They are the small ones. And I know the 20 gallon long is sometimes to big and may stress the snake out but I've seen some ppl on here having it and don't have issues except for temps. But I got those good now.