Choices
I do not understand why folks are flat against supporting their captive snakes in a manner they are supported in nature. In this case, its about temps.
As a field herper whos been taking field data of decades, we observe that snakes use a wide range of temps, and do so year around and 24/7. That is, they find areas that will support those choices as much as POSSIBLE, in their habitat.
In winter, the breeders move to places where they can get to heat for as long as possible. In early summer, late spring, some move to other areas to seek prey or nesting. As conditions change, they move to areas that support their current need.
Then late fall, they move back to wintering sites, which always are the hottest areas in their local.
They pick different temps to accomadate different functions, shedding, growing, digesting prey, during certain stages of reproduction, to heal injuries, and I imagine to prevent or cure desease(to support the immune system) I say, I imagine, because we rarely find sick wild snakes. We do find injured snakes.
So that is why I question not supporting those natural needs.
Ignorance
I wonder if the horse or the cart comes first here. We often do not know or understand why a snake does what it does. I have to think that we know so very little about snakes and their behaviors and how they secure their needs in nature/or captivity.
It appears many here have to know why the snakes do or will do something BEFORE they attempt to allow those choices. That is, they feel they have to understand something, before they try something. Yes, I know this is very confusing. If it wasn't confusing, then we would all be supporting our animals in very different ways. To offer them choices is to test their behaviors. To test means to not know. Yet, most feel they have to know(why) before they will test something.
Here, people offer choices and if the animal does not use them, the way the people think the animal should use them, they simply say, it did not use it. The problem is, reptiles are not as consistant as mammals. They have temporary or timely needs for temps. And these behaviors are regulated by other more important behaviors. Such as survival. As in, they do not expose themselves to danger, from predators, to abverse condtions(to hot, to dry, to wet, to cold, etc) to achieve something that does not endanger their lifes. So here, some behaviors override other behaviors.
A small fossorial snake is not going to thermoregulate in open dry air. Its going to seek methods to thermorgulate that does not expose itself to adverse conditions.
So if we naively try to get a small fossorial snake to use a hot spot that is dry and open, and it does not use it. Our first responce is, it does not need(like) it, because it did not use it. When in fact, the real controls(reasons) were something different, it was a choice that is out of context with the behavior of that animal.
With varanids, we learned this and called these temps choices, "useable temps". That is, we have to learn to provide temps they(the individual in question) WOULD use, in a way they would use them. Not temp choices in a way they would not use them. Once we provided methods that allow that particular species to thermoregulate in a manner it understood(instinctually) They would thermoregulate and use a wide range of temps that fit their needs.
The point here is, we are very ignorant as to why they do what they do. Its a bit more complicated then we WANT. To physically make a choice is controlled by behavior and behavior is controlled by other behaviors. Survival behaviors seem to always override supportive behaviors.
Again, that we do not recognize survival behaviors, is our ignorance. Remember, ignorance means to not know, it does not mean we are stupid. Most here have a fear of being stupid. I admitt, I am very ignorant when it comes to reptile behavior, in fact, at times I am stupid. The reason I say that is, I keep trying to do what I already know is wrong. This is an ongoing problem. I keep working on limiting my stupidity. And try to act in a scientific manner, .
Science
Science is to ask questions, recieve results, then explain those results. Asking questions is to recieve data. Then that data needs to be repeated(quantified) then that data needs to be explained. Then that explination needs to be tested and that test needs to be repeated.
The problem is, in many cases here, keepers are prejudiced. Prejudice is to have a preconcieved direction or knowledge. Again, that is, we often think we know the answer before we actually do the test.
In this case, we often create a situation, then if the animal does not use it, call that the answer. When in reality, to test means to try many different situations and see which one it uses. Again the HUGE problem, BEHAVIOR. These animals have sets of behaviors, and some behaviors override others. Also we tend to forget that behavior is not simple math. That is, with behavior, you can recieve many different answers(results) from the same question(test)It becomes complex math, as there are trends and percentages, not a single answer.
So with science, we are suppose to ask questions, and keep asking questions. Not settle for the first simple thing that fills or fits our needs.
An example is, the recipe method of keeping, is without question a simple fix for our needs. Folks want to keep something alive or have it reproduce. Yes, you can follow a simple recipe to accomplish that. It is simply following instructions. Again, it will work with these animals(kingsnakes) But these snakes are NOT what or a reflection of this very basic methods. They ARE much more.
In nature these snakes are not the animal that sits in a box and eats, craps and breeds, in a very marginal way. They have many reproductive stradgies. They have many behavioral modes, They ARE COMPLEX in the way they use their enviornment. They have complex behaviors to exsist in a changing enviornment. Simply put, they have many ways to accomplish the same task, depending on current needs and overriding behaviors.
Science is to observe and explain. Not observe and to label. Or observe and to judge. Or to prejudice observations. Which is what I fear many biologists are now doing. Not all, just many.
As a field herper, the hardest part is that, TO NOT PREJUDICE your observations. Our job is to collect data in a certain field, as in, foraging, reproduction, range size, habitat type, etc and NOT PREJUDICE that data. Its very hard to do.
To make you think a little bit, most all field studies are a slice of an animals life, or worse, a second of a species history. They are commonly very short in time and lacking in actual data. Its about like taking a second or minute of your life, then explaining with accuracy your entire life.
Again, this post of to cause people to think, to use that stuff between your ears. Cheers and have fun with it(the stuff between your ears).
