A couple of things,
1. no one is attempting to emulate nature, I emulate why these snakes make the decisions they do.
2. of course you choose b. and because you are comfortable with that.
Naturalistic decoration, well I agree with you. But choices have nothing to do with what a cage looks like, it has to do with the real choices a snake makes. Which are based in nature.
I do not have the time now, but tomorrow, I will dig up a picture I took last year in the field. I took it because it represented what we should do. It was not a picture of a kingsnake with rocks and branches and an inch of substrate, a naturalistic water bowl. etc. Its a picture of a baby kingsnake, under a board that is in the spring sun, with tiny burrows is a soft moist earth. Where the board is heated by the sun, and the ground is cool and moist. I think you have seen this before. Maybe you forget? I think that is what we need to emulate.

And please sir, that old "emulate nature and NO ONE KNOWS" sir, that is older then both of use put together. That was good for when we started. Now sir, we do know.

Its funny, we get accused of making these things into a pissing contest, and we can, its fun. so here goes, I can raise them fast and strong, in both large cages and small cages or even tiny little boxes. Each method should appeal to someone. I fail to understand why a person with one or ten snakes, has to keep them is the least visually interesting way, in a box where there is no chance to observe anything interesting.
You and I have very similar but different approaches. As a person whos both a snake breeder and an exhibits builder, I put the two together, it can be done really well. But no, your not going to keep every snake that way. Some want to see the snakes do stuff, some want pet snakes. All that can easily be done. Best wishes

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