I warn in advance that I'm posting this in haste, and I've hardly had time to think the whole thing through. I expect I'll be back as my thoughts clarify.
Now that you mention it, wild Drys probably spend a lot of time stuffing their scaly little faces. Plus, there is the dietary variety thing. They get lots of excercise, and are never cramped. Are the spatial and dietary needs of Drys such that they might lack wild vigor if raised in confinement? Hmmmm.....
I'm not too shocked that a wild Dry ate a racer while researchers were watching. The researchers are probably lucky the Dry didn't eat them into the bargain. And their equipment. I still support the willingness of Dry keepers to hold off breeding attempts until the snakes are at least three years old. If they were corn snakes, or those dumb ol' Eastern Kingsnakes (remember the Dry/King rivalry?) then we would have all we needed to experiment with, but captive Drys are precious, and if we cheat ourselves out of a breeding season or two, isn't it worth it if it actually improves the liklihood of the female's survival and breeding success?
But....does it actually improve the health of the female....that's the question.
I'm a big help....
