Exploring vs trying to get away?

[Sp0rk]

Whats the difference and what are the signs?

[Rstrui]

when a bp is exploring they will go wherever the wind takes them. it starts with periscoping where they do the stiff noodle thing and look around. once he/she is familiar with the immediate area they will just crawl around until they find a nice place to hide (or you pick them up).

[LittleTreeGuy]

I"m not real sure about telling the difference, but from reading thread after thread, the trend (at least in my understanding and opinion) would be this...

If the snake spends most of its time in a hide, and comes out and is active in the cage for a couple of hours on and off throughout the day, it's likely just exploring.

If the snake is constantly moving and never settles down in one spot, it's likely not happy with it's husbandry.

Again, this is just my opinion from things I've read.

[Coluber42]

If the snake is just trying to get away, it will likely show some other signs of being agitated such as jumping or recoiling or fleeing from a slight touch or movement, or a higher respiration rate, or going faster if you try to get it to go somewhere else. Also if it's just making a frantic beeline for the closest dark hole, it's probably trying to run.
If it's moving on the slower side, doesn't overreact if you touch its body or tail, breathing at a calmer rate, changes direction without pulling its head back like it's recoiling from something, etc, it's probably just exploring. It can be a happy explorer and still find a nice hole to hide in, but that's not the same as making a panicked dash for one. The snake can also be basically happy to look around, while still preferring not to be out in the open, like sitting on an empty desk or on the floor in the middle of the room.