Not all snakes are rosies obviously. Some snakes are very mobile in nature, as their body shapes show, and do cover distance in the wild way more than snakes that live in a network of tunnels and crevices. Those mobile species need room. I agree with you there for sure. Keepers need to be knowledgeable of the species and be fair in their offerings of enclosures.

In nature, snakes do a good deal of avoiding nature - the part of nature they do not want. Inclement weather is handled by retreating somewhere. Dry conditions are met by staying under things that reduce evaporation from the snake. You get the picture. They are selective about what part of nature they use.

Regarding your rosy ignoring the rock pile. I have tried that too years ago. It was not used much at all. I had a CHE above the rocks. That particular rosy usually stayed under a piece of newspaper I put in there next to the rocks. Then I moved the rocks out and put in some more newspaper to cover a wider area under the heat and extending out. I rarely saw the snake - she stayed under the paper. Her feeding response became even more pronounced. My thought is that although the rocks look more natural, it was the newspaper/heat/substrate combo that better matched what the snake was looking for. Humans may be drawn to ambiance, but I think snakes are drawn to functional conditions. They are happy to use anything that gives them what they want, whether it be plastic, paper, whatever. They have no concept of "looks". If you can make functional and look good, awesome.

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