Shy python? Refusing to leave his hide

[Mjay84]

My husband purchased me a ball python two weeks ago whiles I was out of state. He is 6 months old or so I'm told. I'm shocked since he hates them but happy because I love em. Anyway I have been home a week now and have been handling Bu ( hubby named him ) and he seems to like me but when he is in his cage he never comes out from under his hide. I figured he would explore it a bit. The tank is set at a steady 80 degrees with the lamp over his hide. I'm getting another one tomorrow to set up on the other side of the tank. Did we do something wrong that I'm not seeing?

[snakesRkewl]

If it's in a glass tank...my suggestions are:

cover 3 sides of the tank so the snake doesn't feel like it has to watch 360 degrees to make sure predators aren't going to get it.

Cover 2/3rds of the top to help keep heat and humidity inside the tank.

Use belly heat and over head ceramic heat emitter to get the correct temperatures in the tank.
A uth plugged into a thermostat set to about 90 degrees for the snake to sit and bask on.
A ceramic heat emitter plugged into a rheostat to contol the ambient air temperature.

Give the snake a hide it can barely fit into and has only one entrance for the snake to have to guard.

[Zombie's Morphs]

Just to add a little somthing, try and give him some time to acclimate to his new surroundings. Some tend to take longer to get "settled in" than others. Doing the things Jerry said will make the little one feel much more comfortable. Good luck with your new little one!

[Method919]

Also, keep in mind that ball pythons do naturally love to curl up and hide all day. In the wild they hang out in rodent burrows underground and in small spaces that are completely hidden and secure. A perfectly healthy and comfortable ball python will usually hide all day and only come out at night, and even then, it might only be sticking it's head and neck out of the hide to wait for food. So don't assume that you're doing anything wrong just because it's hiding a lot. Now, if you have him in a clear glass tank, the things snakesRkewl mentioned are very important. I would start by covering most of the sides of the tank, it will help your snake feel much more secure.

[Randy F]

I have some snakes that even being in a rack love their hides. I have a super pastel that thrived with a hide. She ate so much better. The only time I would see any part of her was at feeding time and her face would be at the opening for about 5 seconds until she grabbed the rat. She stayed in there until it was her shell! I am sure they come out at night, they have to drink. As long as all of its needs are met (see Jerry's post), and heathy to handle, don't sweat it.

[MrBig]

I have a male that was the same way in a rack, and my black pewter girl wears her water dish as a shell all the time. My pin hides in his constantly. It makes them feel secure, so the smaller the better.

[Mjay84]

I stuck a small heat pack on the side yesterday and covered half the tank with a towel last night. Not long after he came out for a few minutes and looked around. I didn't even think that he might've been to scared because he could see everything around him. Thank you so much for the help. He seems happier already.

[snakesRkewl]

Great to hear!

It's amazing how friendly they become when they feel secure in their home.

[reptilebaby]

My snakes must be weird. Most of them don't go in their hides!

[Mjay84]

Bu really has come into his own now. Definitely is happier since I made those changes. He still is mostly hanging in his rock but at night he comes out and climbs the side of his cage, watching me. I feel like he wants me to handle him now. Reptilebaby- maybe they don't like their hides? Bu refuses to go even rear the log hide.

[Helenthereef]

You can give a variety of hides and see which they prefer. Mine continually opt for the hacked up ice-cream tubs over the nice scenic half logs, damn them!