Is this behaviour normal?

[MangoPie]

I got my new Bredli python hatchling a few days ago, they are about 6 months old at the moment and I haven't fed them yet, I'm not quite sure when they last ate but I was told to give them a week to settle in before feeding.

My main concern is that he hasn't used his hides yet. I was worried they might be a bit big, so I decided to put a smaller one in his enclosure, still waiting to see if he uses it. During the daytime he sleeps in this little gap between his rock background and the top of the enclosure but at night he really likes to explore and coast around the edges. Doesn't seem to like to touch the ground a lot. He seems to really want to get out.

His enclosure is about 60cm H, 40cm wide, and 40cm high. I maintain a constant 30 degrees temp throughout the day and night. In the day this is maintained with a heat lamp, and at night this temperature is maintained through a heat mat alone that covers about 1/3 of his enclosure so I assume the air of the enclosure is probably cooler at night, haven't done any testing for the cool side yet. Does he have a slight preference for the warm side? he always hides on the warm side during the day.

Here's a little picture of him sleeping during the day for a visual! he doesn't move from here when its light out.

 

[baker]

Sounds like completely normal behaviour to me.

Your snakes just found itself a nice tight and cosy spot where it feels secure to rest during the day before cruising around of a night exploring it's enclosure and looking for food. When you have a think about the general ecology of bredli being semi arboreal pythons, it makes a sense that their hatchlings would display a preference towards tree and rock crevices as opposed to hides on the ground where they're more likely to encounter predators.

What you're doing though is perfect, the more options you provide your snake to hide (actual hides, clumps of fake plants, etc.) the more secure it will feel and you'll find it will eventually choose the places it prefers (this also goes for any reptile/amphibian). Also, chances are your snake does descend to the ground during the night, it's just not during the periods you observe it.

Cheers, Cameron

 

[MangoPie]

Hey there, thanks for the reply!
Just wanted to update and say that he took his first meal quite enthusiastically so I'm satisfied that he feels at home. He still refuses to use his hides even when he wants to chill on the ground which seems a bit odd to me but as long as he's happy!
Is there any reason a snake might not want to use their hides? I ended up purchasing a smaller one to see if he'd be interested but so far he hasn't even gone to check it out.

 

[TheresASnakeInMyBoot]

Hey there, thanks for the reply!
Just wanted to update and say that he took his first meal quite enthusiastically so I'm satisfied that he feels at home. He still refuses to use his hides even when he wants to chill on the ground which seems a bit odd to me but as long as he's happy!
Is there any reason a snake might not want to use their hides? I ended up purchasing a smaller one to see if he'd be interested but so far he hasn't even gone to check it out.

My Albino did that for about a week, now hes explored his new territory hes comfortable in majority of places. He uses his hide mainly. But the first week i thought i lost him as he was hiding in a branch and vines.
Normal behavior and once fully settled, all will be peachy.

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[MangoPie]

Another small update!
It's been awhile and he has managed to find his hides but still doesn't seem interested in using them. Handling and feeding has been fine! He took his second meal with no problem just a few days ago. This is now his new favorite sleeping spot which I find a bit...odd. I'm wondering if the temps might be too high and he hides in between the glass to cool down? I really wish he wouldn't sleep here of all places since its difficult to get him out if I ever need to. He might just like it because its the tightest place he can find to squeeze into in the enclosure. any thoughts?

 

[Synveil]

What temperatures does he have in the enclosure? Also does he have a good heat gradient? A definite hot and cool end of the enclosure? Should be aiming for around the 31-33 mark on his hot end, and cool end should be around low to mid 20s. If you have that I would say it's probably nothing to do with the temperature.

 

[MangoPie]

What temperatures does he have in the enclosure? Also does he have a good heat gradient? A definite hot and cool end of the enclosure? Should be aiming for around the 31-33 mark on his hot end, and cool end should be around low to mid 20s. If you have that I would say it's probably nothing to do with the temperature.

I maintain 31-33s on the hot end of his enclosure but I haven't tested the temps for the cool end. It has been a little hotter over the past few days, I can say that at least.