Its definitely just a preference for me. All of my snakes are pets only. I won't breed any of them. I still give all the snakes a hot spot during the winter but I keep them a few degrees cooler and I feed them less often. I tried it for the first time last year and enjoyed watching them slow down during the colder months and then pick back up during the spring. I also liked saving a few bucks on my feeder bill. 🙂