Although I haven't seen any recent studies done, my hunch is that there's more to the loreal pits than meets the eye. There's no doubt that they are far more sensitive to temp changes than we imagined and that probably includes recognizing core temps through various layers of skin, etc. We oftentimes make assumptions about physiological processes (such as heat pits) because it makes sense to us. In reality, particularly in the natural world, what makes sense to us and what really happens are usually worlds apart. But, you are right, some snakes are just quirky in their captive habits and that may very well be a good enough explanation. If anyone has seen any recent studies done on this subject I'd love to hear about it.

>>One would think that the loreal pits on the snake just pick up the surface temperature whether or not the inside is warm. Infrared radiation is what is detected by the pits and it is at a long enough of a wavelength that it wouldn't readily pass through layers of connective tissues, flesh, etc and that the heat signature from the inside of the animal would not be directly seen by the snake. Rather the snake would see the heating of the skin from the heat being conducted from the warm insides. I'm not doubting your technique. It just seems that some animals are quirky and like to be fed differently.
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

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