I say watch how the snake reacts. If you know your snake then you know how it will take being anywhere. It seems to me that the generalized statements are taking over. Will a python mistake your hand for a rat if you feed it in its home? Maybe. But is this true for every snake? Probably not. I took cuddles to the pet store and she was just fine. I bagged her up in a pillow case and took her there. She was handled by 3 people other then myself that she had never seen before. I bagged her and took her home. All was good.