I'm using supposedly no tip bowls (well one is, the other is just flat and shallow). However I've literally seen the bigger snake shove hard enough against that one to make a mess, they drag substrate through the water or poop in it. So it's still worth my peace of mind to peek in for the thirty seconds it takes to check on them and make sure they're clean, dry, and have drinkable water. I could make it even easier by removing the substrate to straight paper towels, but eh. 2 snakes, a whole 2 minutes a day? Not a hardship for me. I'm sure I'd streamline more if I had more.