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Hides for newborn snakes?

atmox

atmox

Addict!
This is a question for the breeders on this forum.
As some may know I'm planning on breeding boa's (not this year) and I'm the kind of guy that does research before doing something.
Well my question is: Do the newborn (or hatched) snakes need hides? I often see that breeders don't use hides for young snakes. I'm not planning on using a rack system so there will be a glass window on all of the vivs. (Don't know if this matters or not.) Also the substrate will be paper towels or newspaper so they can't bury in. (I'm doing this to keep the costs down.)
I know for corns you can easily make hides out of those tubes that are in toilet paper rolls. But boa's won't fit in that i think.

Also if you have ideas for cheap hides please tell me! And if i need to make them myself please explain how.

Thanks guys!
 
I don't know that you "need" hides, but for a boa, you could make some cheap & easy ones with a larger diameter PVC - just cut it into lengths that work for your babies, and them split them in half... looks just like the hide logs, at a MUCH lower price. I've started using the small butter tubs for my corns. They work great, are easy to clean, and we all buy butter. You could use butter tubs, those plastic containers some lunch meats come in, I even found some really small cream cheese containers that work great. Recycle!
 
dawn75801 said:
I don't know that you "need" hides, but for a boa, you could make some cheap & easy ones with a larger diameter PVC - just cut it into lengths that work for your babies, and them split them in half... looks just like the hide logs, at a MUCH lower price. I've started using the small butter tubs for my corns. They work great, are easy to clean, and we all buy butter. You could use butter tubs, those plastic containers some lunch meats come in, I even found some really small cream cheese containers that work great. Recycle!
Click to expand...

I totally didn't think of PVC pipes! Thanks!
 
They can burrow under paper towels. Toilet paper rolls make good hides, or a toothpaste box cut in half. Fake plastic leaves, shredded gift wrapping paper- you know, you buy it shredded and give them a little ball of it.
 
Here's one I picked up a while ago on this forum. If memory serves I think it was from a certain Mr. Munson, but I could be wrong about that.

Sorry about the bad photos. I just took them quickly for this post with my phone...

step 1. Get a piece of board.
02032011086.jpg

Step 2. Put a kink in said board.
02032011089.jpg

Step 3. There is non. You're done.
 
If you have a paper shredder, there is a cheap way to get stuff for babies to bury in. You might check offices for the shredding that they throw away.
I have also crumpled paper into balls and tossed it in for snakes to hide in.
 
My babies love the little 5.8(ish) ounce cardboard ice cream containers (that hold about 4-5bites of ice cream), that I get for about $1. I clean them out, cut a hole in the bottom, replace the lid & have instant caves. They make great feed cups too. I just put some air holes in them, put the pinky in, then the hatchling, put the lid on & I have had a high success rate at getting picky/stubborn eaters to eat that way. When they get soiled, I toss them, buy more (eat the icea cream) of course. :)
 
Actually, boas don't need a hide, unless you're talking about rosy's. It is actually easier to keep them calm when handling them if you don't provide a hide and they get used to being in the open.
 
hippiebrian said:
Actually, boas don't need a hide, unless you're talking about rosy's. It is actually easier to keep them calm when handling them if you don't provide a hide and they get used to being in the open.
Click to expand...

This is an interesting statement which I've heard before.
I had 3 BCI's this past year, which have all moved on now- I just didn't feel much for them so have traded them for snakes I like. Point is I gave them hides and they all took advantage.

When I got my first one I tried the theory that they don't need hides and found that it then moved into the corner of the cage for about 3 months until I put the hides back. I mean it would go do it's business in the water and go back to the corner whether, even regardless of temperature, it had it's corner.

Probably a case of me feeling better that it had a hide - but build it and they will come :)
 
funnynonsense said:
This is an interesting statement which I've heard before.
I had 3 BCI's this past year, which have all moved on now- I just didn't feel much for them so have traded them for snakes I like. Point is I gave them hides and they all took advantage.

When I got my first one I tried the theory that they don't need hides and found that it then moved into the corner of the cage for about 3 months until I put the hides back. I mean it would go do it's business in the water and go back to the corner whether, even regardless of temperature, it had it's corner.

Probably a case of me feeling better that it had a hide - but build it and they will come :)
Click to expand...

I used to notice that also (I haven't kept a boa for 20 years now). They do tend to pick a favorite spot and hang there, which doesn't seem to bother them at all!
 
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