Like I said, I've cared for these guys in the same enclosure for literally 20 years and there were almost zero problems until just a year or two ago. Most or all of my methods I got from either my veterinarians or this site... so yeah haha. That seems strange to me, so I thought I'd reach out. Perhaps it really is just a change in behavior with age.

Pardon my ignorance, but how are my methods so unusual aside from keeping them together? It's clear there are plenty of people who feed outside the cage and it works for them, and I even said this is new for me and I'm considering switching back, so I don't get the attitude.