• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

why wont she use her hide

ratfink007

ratfink007

New member
hi guys just a quick question, i got my new ghost stripe yesterday she is about 4 months old and i put her in her new viv yesterday as soon as i got her home i am letting her setlle in and not going to handle her for abouta week, however from watching her i havenoticed she is not using either of her two hides and is just lying on the substrate on the cool side at the back, i am worried she is getting cold but dont know how to tempt her over to the warm side and into her hide, i would of thought if she is nervous and stressed that is the first place she would go, any help or advice would be appreciated i hope im worrying about nothing, this could be normal im not sure, any thoughts?

cheers guys

darrell:cheers:
 
The snake will thermoregulate for itself and will stay in the temperature zone that is most appropriate. You shouldn't try to "tempt" her to the warm side if she obviously doesn't want to be there. Remember that a Corn Snake's ideal maximum temp is lower than human body temp, so she will always feel cool to your touch unless you've picked her straight up from the warm end of the viv.

Mine spend most of their time at the cool ends of their vivs. They only sit at the warm end when digesting or feeling under the weather.

I'm assuming you have one hide at the cool side and one at the warm side? Try putting the cool side hide on the spot where she's spending all her time now. If she goes into the hide, then it's just that she prefers the temperature in that spot. If she moves elsewhere but stays at the same end of the tank, then it's the hide she's objecting to.

What sort of hides are you using? You could offer more to give a greater choice, or provide ground cover with plastic foliage. As she's just a baby, you can use things like cardboard toilet roll or kitchen roll tubes, cut in half lengthwise.

Also, what are the temps at the cool and warm ends?
 
hi bitsy first of all i use a little exo terra cave on the warm side and the cool side has an exo terra snake cave that she has to get in through a hole in the top it is the type u can take the lid off, my other corn lewis has just been moved up to a bigger hide and he used to the little snake cave all the time,also she has foliage in there to but she is just sitting next to her water bowl my temps are 85 on the warm side and 70 on the cool side sometimes creeping up to about 72 i measure the temps with didital thermometer under the substrate
 
Have you tried swapping the hides over? She may have taken a dislike to the top opening - sometimes it can be down to individual preference. Could you arrange the foliage so that it covers the spot where she prefers to sit?

Temps sound absolutely fine.

To be honest, anything could happen in the first couple of weeks that you have her. She's still finding her way round, so it could be that it's too soon for her to have settled yet. After swapping the hides, it's probably best to just leave her be for the first week and let her do her own thing.
 
ratfink007 said:
hi guys just a quick question, i got my new ghost stripe yesterday she is about 4 months old and i put her in her new viv yesterday as soon as i got her home i am letting her setlle in and not going to handle her for abouta week, however from watching her i havenoticed she is not using either of her two hides and is just lying on the substrate on the cool side at the back, i am worried she is getting cold but dont know how to tempt her over to the warm side and into her hide, i would of thought if she is nervous and stressed that is the first place she would go, any help or advice would be appreciated i hope im worrying about nothing, this could be normal im not sure, any thoughts?

cheers guys

darrell:cheers:
Click to expand...

It may or may not be a thermo regulation thing. You do have to watch out, baby snakes will sometimes not thermo regulate when they are a bit intimidated. They will just pick a spot and stay. As long as the temps are in the "satisfactory" range you should be OK.

What size/type of hides are you using? Sometimes, and I have made this mistake, we buy hides because they look nice to us. Baby snakes may think different. It should be really tight for them. When I get a baby snake, I will use tp or cut paper towel tubes and crumpled up news paper. They may not look pretty, but the snakes sure like them.

Spread those hides out, too. I'm not sure of the size of your tank, but don't be afraid to clutter it up a bit at first. It will help them adjust, settle and make them less intimidated.

Good Luck,

Wayne
 
well wayne the tank is small i think 40 by 30 by 45 and i have just tried moving one of her hides to where she is staying at the back and bringing the foliage down a lot lower so she can hide under it but you are right i think she is very intimidated when i quickly sorted out her hide a min ago she just darts around the tank and when i put the lid back on she goes back to the same spot and stays there i will put a couple of toilet rolls cut in half in and keep my fingers crossed i just want her to be healthy and happy i am hoping she just needs to adjust to her home
 
ratfink007 said:
well wayne the tank is small i think 40 by 30 by 45 and i have just tried moving one of her hides to where she is staying at the back and bringing the foliage down a lot lower so she can hide under it but you are right i think she is very intimidated when i quickly sorted out her hide a min ago she just darts around the tank and when i put the lid back on she goes back to the same spot and stays there i will put a couple of toilet rolls cut in half in and keep my fingers crossed i just want her to be healthy and happy i am hoping she just needs to adjust to her home
Click to expand...

Very Good!! Good luck and I am sure this will work itself out. She probably just needs a bit of time.

Good luck and keep us posted,

Wayne
 
good news!!

lotty seems to be settling in now she is in her hide now i have moved i looks like i was worrying over nothing thanks for the help guys!!!

darrell
 
When I first got my snake, she buried all day in the substrate. She was blue. After she settled in, during her blue phase, she preferred the hide to burying. I think it all has to do with their comfort levels and level of acclimation.
 
I know it's solved, but my corn has an exo-terra hide and never uses it either. The hides she likes (her weight is 35grams) are kraft dinner boxes, and up high in fake plants. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top