Every species has its own requirements to thrive. When pets are purchased one has to make sure that the pet's requirements can be willingly met by the owner. I like fat lazy snakes. They are easy for me to provide for and keep in numbers. I have many times thought about keeping bloods. Another fat lazy animal, but their temperature requirements are different than balls and I am unwilling to change up my reptile room to accommodate them. If I was a hot keeper, I would probably focus on gaboons, another animal that does not move much. So with balls, it is pretty cut and dried to me. They meet my needs, I meet theirs. Someday, maybe this year after I sell off this years clutches, I am going to set up a "natural" environment for a male and female ball in order to observe how they react with a simulated natural cycle. This is one of those things I would never advise a beginner to do. They could be down to a single snake in short order or end up with two snakes going off food and getting sick.
I have kept a few other species of reptile over the years. Corn snakes being the easiest. The most elaborate being my adult iguana setups. Room sized cages for these guys with plenty of stuff to keep them busy.
Currently there is a bearded dragon in my house. He is not kept in a tub. He has a relatively large terrarium with stuff to dig and stuff to climb on. He appears to enjoy interaction. This is not an animal I would keep in a confined environment, but I only have one so my sample size is a little small.
I also have a Russian tortoise that my daughter just had to have. I know better but my daughter is hard to argue with (any father with a little girl knows what I mean). I honestly don't believe these things should be kept as pets. I have yet to make this animal "happy" even though I have had it going on five years and it is very healthy.
Short story is, I know I don't know everything. I always like new data and am willing to adjust accordingly. My next experiment is going to be feeding males birds. I just ordered some frozen quail. Many males in the wild according to one study were found to be eating birds, so I'm going to try it. Maybe, it will stimulate some of my males into eating more often. Maybe not.
Once I have my "natural" enclosure up, I am going to be doing what I am calling the "Zinc" experiment. I am going to see if I can the animals to climb to get a bird.
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