My snake stays in her hide all the time until a night or two before her regular feeding time, when she starts getting hungry and "hunting" for mice (I assume). But if you want to put some cool stuff in there, you can go to the pet store or a home store and get some plastic plants, or go outside and find a nice stick. Make sure to soak it in bleach and bake it before you put it in the cage--don't want any parasites or disease carried into the cage.