Hello, I think we lose sight of what we have. Not just you, but all of us.

We have wild animals in cages, they are still not domestic yet.

We also have individuals in cages, which means, while they may be the same species, even brother and sister, they are indeed individuals. This includes the ability to handle stress.

Also many keepers do not have a concept of captivity and what is good or what is bad. And please understand, that is based on the animal. What is good for it, or was is bad for it.

As a field herper, your concept of a cage that the animal can touch all sides is completely foreign to the animal. They live and are designed to florish without walls. I see them as they are, without walls. I never found one in a box. They just are not attracted to a box.

So we have them in boxes, that is against all that is hognose. So what we have is animals that are being behaviorally modified to fit our needs. Again, as individuals, they simply do not all react the same to chronic prolonged stress. Captivity is just that, chronic prolonged stress. Please understand, I am not criticizing. ITs simply the truth.

The above is from a behavioral point of view, you also have a simple physical point of view. While we can all agree that 80F with a hot spot can "work"(from a captive point of view) its nothing like what they actually utilize on a daily basis. What we offer in captivity is an average workable temp range or temp. Being an average actually means it eliminates the exception. As mentioned, all animals include exceptions. End of part one.

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