Did I do it wrong? Can I fix it?

[Cuddles]

So I got my snake about a mounth ago and he is starting his first shed! Congrats little one! Anyways, Ive been reading around and it seems as though everyone's snake is out and about in their tanks. When I got him, I was handling him once a day, or once every couple of days. He is constantly under the aspen I have in there for him. I hardly ever see him, I even wake up in the middle of the night and I dont see him. This is not because of the shed, as he has been like this since I have had him. When I get him out of his tank and hold him he is fine, just chills for a little bit gets used to me, I guess, and then starts scouting around. Whenever I put him back in his tank, he always wants to get right back out at first. When I put the lid on, he stops trying to get out within 5 mins and continues to hide. Is it just because he is young and wants to stay hidden? Should I leave him in there for a certain amount of days without disturbance, except for maintaince?

 

[DaemoNox]

Its normal, most babies will spend most of their time hiding, its instinct to them. As he gets older, his little brain will start developing more where instincts wont be the only controlling factor in him; he will begin to see you not as a threat, but a bringer of food, and perhaps even a source of safety when he is not able to get into his hides. I've found usually when they're around fuzzy size they start becoming braver, and many of my yearlings I notice start spending less time buried and more time out in the open watching me. It just takes time and gentle routine handling.

 

[Checkerbelly]

I have the perfect solution. Keep buying snakes until you reach a point where at least one is out at any given time. That's my strategy. I'm up to 3 and I still go a few days at a time without seeing anybody.

Doesn't sound abnormal. I'd experiment with handling him less. See what happens when you take him out every 4 days instead of 2. Maybe he'll be more inclined to pop out and see what's happening. Also make sure your temps are warm enough.

My adult corn has only come out of hiding once in the past week or so. And that was to poop. He's just doing what snakes do.

 

[Nanci]

Checkerbelly, that's working for me!

My youngest smallest snake, Inez, 5 months old, is almost never out. She likes to stay in hides, though. If I waited for her to come out before I handled her, I'd never see her!

Choco, 2006, is out quite a bit. I would say every day. When he _does_ hide, it's almost always under his moist hide, in his moist hide, or directly on his UTH. He doesn't burrow much.

Zee, yearling +, is almost never out. He varies between burrowing in aspen/hiding in hides.

Addy, young- age unknown, is out a lot, lounging by the pool, climbing vines. She also splits her time between aspen tunneling and hides- and she tends to have pretty permanent tunnels.

Maizey, adult, is out about 75% or the time when we are home. She both burrows and hides in hides. She likes to sit with her head resting on her climbing branch, gazing out at whatever is going on.

Nanci

 

[terry fielder]

yea mines about 9 months old and i never see him

 

[Nanci]

Ok, this is going to sound goofy, but when I want Choco to come out, (and I know he likes to come out!) I knock gently on his glass and say something like "Chocaly, time to wake up!!!" and he usually comes out within a few minutes...

Nanci

 

[Brizzle]

Ok, this is going to sound goofy, but when I want Choco to come out, (and I know he likes to come out!) I knock gently on his glass and say something like "Chocaly, time to wake up!!!" and he usually comes out within a few minutes...

Nanci

Haha that's cute.

My snakes usually always hide. Except for my jungle. He likes to be out and about a lot. Which is cool, since he's in the living room. So I always get to see him.

 

[rockysnake]

rocky always used to hide and then since ive handled him a few time and he fed for the 1st time since ive had him and shed since the 1st time ive had him he seems fine and i see him in his viv quite a bit....does still do his fair share of hiding tho

 

[RedRaydin]

Raydin Hides

Raydin (My amel) tends to hide during the early morning newspapers by burrowing under the first layer of magazine or newpaper I put in. It leaves a little entrance hole for when it wants to come back out. But normally by the time I get home from work it is out either under his log hide or moving around by the water bowl. At night it is forever climbing on the artificial ivy on the back of its cage. Prob looking for its escape route lol. But yea I take mine out during the early evening hours when its out or when I get home. If its hiding under the paper, I go ahead and change its water and that gives me an excuse to lift the paper up and take it out for a few. I on average handle mine on Monday-Thursday, once a day. The other days its digesting food because feeding day is Thursday. And I only hold him for a minute or two on Thursdays as I transport it to his temp cage while I clean out the viv. I think handling 2-3 times a week is fine and pretty average. Especially if you really love your snakes lol. I'm a sucker for Raydin. It's such a cool amel.

 

[Plissken]

That's just what snakes do - hide! To be honest I tend to take comfort when I don't see them; I have noticed that my snakes are out more and more when they're hungry, and less so when they're full.

 

[RedRaydin]

That is very true... two days before feeding, a couple days after defecation, Raydin is jetting about searching for that next meal. However, no power feeding here. I'm on nights this week actually and off Friday so the pet store will be closed by the time I get off. Feeding is gonna have to be a day late. But two decent sized fuzzies should fill raydin right up. Doing the whol wipe down and cleaning of the cage tommorrow too. Been a few weeks so I wanna get that thing spotless and bacteria free. But yea, hungry snakes = very active.