We've discussed it a few times over the years, but we've never really done more than just scratch the surface.

Which is better, is in my opinion impossible to say, unless we're talking about very specific aspects of keeping snakes. Naturally, we can't know exactly what goes through the mind of the snake, so it's pretty pointless to speculate about which they like more. There's no real way to measure how satisfied they are with their housing solution, even though longevity and breeding success can be used as indicators. Then again, there's that pesky comparison between quantity and quality, which I feel applies to life as much as it does to anything else. Disregard that, it's my view, which has nothing to do with the animals. But I do think that when nothing points to the contrary, mimicing nature is the best solution.

I'd imagine racks are easier to maintain and you can house more snakes in a rack than in vivs, when they both require the same surface area. However, I like to observe my snakes. How many snakes I can keep or how many different morphs I can collect doesn't mean much to me, so I don't really have a need to house large quantities. I don't like the idea of providing the snakes with just absolute minimum of space and it may be good for their health to have a bit more space to move and especially to have room to climb.Thamnophis species are active foragers, not sit-and-wait predators, so it is natural for them to move around a lot. Some of them are very skittish and when I have housed individuals that are skittish in rack-like enclosures, it has always been difficult to handle them without risking having them eject themselves from the enclosure and injure themselves.