This is entirely my own fantasy about what goes on in a snake's "mind"....certainly not scientific by any stretch of the word, but it makes sense to me...


When a snake (BP's in particular) finds itself in a new enclosure, it must re-establish its ownership of its own territory. Including those perfect little caves located in just the right spots. How does it know there's not some other creature that has already claimed the caves? So it explores and watches and waits...until its certain that no other creatures are going to try to use those sweet little caves. This can take anywhere from a few hours to several days...depending on the snake and the setup.

Perhaps the flashlight startled him into thinking the cave was not as safe as he first supposed. I'm sure after a day or two of peace and quiet, he'll forget all about the light and re-establish his ownership of his home.