I think the belly heat idea comes from wild snake behaviors. In the wild if a snake is too cool it will seek out an area that is heated by the sun. At night when many snakes are active, rocks are warmer than the air, and the snake may sit on the rock for a while gathering heat. It is also easy to provide belly heat with a UTH. As a result of observation, and convenience, many hobbyists and breeders use belly heat. Of course if a snake is underneath a rock being warmed by the sun, it is perfectly capable of absorbing heat dorsally as well.
Snakes are designed very specifically to maintain body temperatures by using any source of heat in their environment. Of course snakes do not regularly encounter temperatures much above a hundred or so degrees, and so if the belly heat source is too high, the snake does not have a program to deal with burning temps and can literally cook. As a keeper, I find it is best to provide a variety of small microclimates in the cage in order to allow the snake to choose the climate that best suits it at the time. I realize that I do not see the world the way the snake does, and I do not believe I should substitute my judgment of what the snake needs for the snake's judgment.
As long as conditions are within a safe range for the snake, I just let the snake be. It knows what it is doing. It is also designed by natural selection to survive in environments much more hostile and variable that captive conditions. This means that as long as a suitable range of conditions is present, the snake can manage it's need for optimum body temperature in a robust and effective way. As a keeper you can relax and have faith that your snake knows what is best.
David
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