After getting a new animal home and into an enclosure the first thing I do is offer food.
For shipping and expos many breeders seem to fast snakes a week before hand. I've only ever had one 1st day refusal and, that one ate 3 days later on feeding day with the rest of my animals.
That said other than a quick check on the animal I do have a week settle in period where I pretty much leave the critter alone and let it get used to the new environment.
To my mind many of the "by the book rules" are great for beginning herp enthusiasts. Things that give even a dummy like me a great chance at success with early acquisitions. But, then a passion for the animals will get some of us and we start studying them, reading scientific papers, following successful breeders, looking more closely at flora, fauna and climate of the areas the animals are from and then we can start making educated guesses as to different things we might try.
So, while I do support the by the book care-sheet idea I also understand that there can be other ideas that are equally successful in practice (I just wish more people would clearly and concisely document them) or that some people may have unusual experiences that may or may not be successful due to the individual temperament of the animals or a factor the keeper was unaware of and didn't control for.
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