Methods

Methods & Protocol

Good science should be understandable and reproducible. This page will contain the active protocol, its major revisions, and the definitions behind every behavioral measurement.

Protocol development / pre-data phaseCurrent protocol: Draft — Version 0.xSelection criteria: Not yet established

Selection criteria will be finalized after system validation and before formal selection data are evaluated. This page is the timestamped record of that order.

Primary Outcome

Voluntary Surface Exposure

Surface Exposure %

valid observed time visibly above substrate

total valid observation time

× 100

Camera outages and unusable footage will be recorded as missing data, not as time underground.

Secondary Behavioral Measures

Planned Measurements

Measure	Definition	Status
Emergence Frequency	How often an animal appears above the substrate.	Planned
Surface Event Duration	How long individual surface appearances last.	Planned
Maximum Surface Duration	The longest continuous surface event during the observation period.	Planned
Surface Movement	Detectable movement while the animal is exposed.	Planned
Exposed Resting	Time spent stationary while visible above the substrate.	Planned
Time-of-Day Activity	When surface behavior occurs relative to the light and dark cycle.	Planned
Post-Reset Reburial Latency	Time between the end of a standardized weekly husbandry event and complete disappearance beneath the substrate.	Planned
Feeding-Associated Activity	Behavioral changes around scheduled feeding events.	Planned

Contextual Records

Behavior Is Not Read Alone

Behavior will be interpreted alongside the records that explain it.

Weight
Growth
Feeding
Feeding refusals
Shed events
Sex when known
Age or hatch date when known
Health observations
Veterinary interventions
Temperature
Lighting schedule
Equipment changes
Unscheduled disturbances
Breeding events
Parentage and lineage

Pilot Phase

Validate Before Selecting

Before formal selection begins, the system will undergo a pilot phase to test:

Camera placement
Video reliability
Behavior detection
Thermal consistency
Substrate performance
Weekly procedures
Data storage
QR-linked animal records
Missing-data handling

Pilot observations will not automatically become formal selection data.

Protocol Changes

Research Rarely Goes Exactly as Planned

If the protocol changes, the project will document:

What changed
When it changed
Why it changed
Which animals or generations were affected

Older protocol versions should remain available whenever practical.

Animal Welfare

Welfare Outranks Consistency

Animal welfare takes priority over experimental consistency.

No snake will be deprived of appropriate substrate or deliberately made uncomfortable to increase surface activity.

If an animal requires altered husbandry or veterinary treatment, it will receive it. The deviation will be documented rather than ignored.

Protocol Version History

Draft 0.x

No published protocol versions yet

The protocol is still being written and tested against the observation rack. Version 1.0 will be published here, with every later revision kept alongside it.

Follow the drafting process in Lab Notes.