Things have changed

[zina10]

Honestly, though, if you go by any "one" or even two animals of one species, you simply do not have enough of them to connect the dots, so to speak. There are variances in different species and even in different animals of the same species.

What works for one of them, might not work for the other. Only when you care for a large amount of animals of the same species can you realize what works for "most" of them consistently. That still doesn't mean it will work for each single one, though.

When "newbies" ask for help, it is always best to give the most straight forward advice and answers. And that is usually what has been determined to work best for "most" of the animals, because the chance it will work for that particular animal will be the highest.

Unless you have a constant room temperature (instead of heat tapes, radiant panels, etc) most rooms cool down at night. While the actual hot spot usually doesn't get affected by this, the ambient temps do. Most snakes do just fine with that.

While feeding in a different container can (and does) work, I simply don't like it. The snakes often stay in "feeding" mode for quite a while after eating and I do not want to disturb them, handle them, carry them around right after eating. Won't kill them I'm sure, but I just don't see any good sense in it. I do not even think the "aggression factor" plays any role in this or would for me anyhow. Its all about the comfort and stress level. Again, the animal can deal with it most likely, but I just don't see any good reason to do it that way so I don't see any good reason to advice a "newbie" to feed that way.

Evolution is a good way to explain it. Its not actually the evolution in the animal, but in our learning and understanding about what works best for most of this species while kept in captivity.

For years on end its been said not to give a "hot" and exercised horse water, they may colic. Now its understood that the opposite is true. Doesn't mean that every horse got (or will get) dehydrated and sick if water was with held until they were cooled off, but it does mean that it is healthier for them to give water right away and that the old opinion simply isn't advisable anymore after more understanding of their health and needs.

Long story short. If what you do works for you and your animals, there is nothing wrong with sticking with it. But the advice given to people new to the hobby should always be the one that has been proven to be best for most of these particular animals.

Knowledge evolves