Do you think that Ball Pythons have feelings, moods, intuitions, or just trust.

[queenelvis82]

Hello all!
I decided to start this discussion as a fun thread to see what Ball Python owners think of their pet's thought processes. I have heard many sides of the spectrum related to this topic from snake's not having enough smarts to display feelings, to snake's recognizing their owner and showing affection (not just trust.)
Feel free to comment and share your thoughts on this subject. I think it will be interesting to see what a majority of Ball Python owners think.

[Kat_Dog]

I think they can display basic feelings like happiness, sadness, fear and anger. Other feelings, like love, are too complex and not wired into their mind.

As for recognizing their owner, I believe they do. They can remember smells and know which are bad, which are good, which won't bother them, and which ones are familiar. Dovah can tell the difference between me and my dad. I'm just like another tree to him, but he sees my dad as a predator and I've noticed him keeping an eye on him but not caring about me walking through the room or holding him.

I don't think they show affection. They have tolerant, intolerant, and "I don't care" and that's it. No "I love you, please take me out so we can spend more time together"

They're pretty simple creatures imo and pretty much just do what their instincts tell them to do.

[richiquick]

I wish I knew for sure but I think so!My bps know who I am and my wife's know her,they react different to each of us,mine will not go to her or try to get away and my wife's act that way toward me.
I don't know what they feel but there is something there,I don't think they are moving sticks!This is a cool topic,I always wondered what other owners thought,and some breeders.
Maybe I am putting human emotions on them but I believe each one of my mine nine snakes have personalities,good days and bad,people they like and people they don't!

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[Tarzan152]

I pretty much agree with Kat_Dog on this one. I think it's the smell they relate to, not the human him/herself. If I put my hand in their enclosure, they barely flinch. If I smelled like rat, I know I'm going to get bit. I think they just have levels of tolerance and that's all. No love (sad to say). Good topic..

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[anneplath]

They most definitely have moods and personalities, at least in my experience. There are outgoing bps, nervous ones, and ones that just don't care. I have had quite the spectrum of ball pythons over the years, including a huge six foot male rescue who would crash around his enclosure until taken out and paid attention to. He didn't do this constantly and wasn't trying to escape and the behavior stopped once he was handled for a bit and replaced in his enclosure. He also was massively inquisitive and would approach people and animals he didn't know to give them a good smell.

I also have a female that is terrified of mice, even f/t ones. Though I believe this to be a learned behavior, as before I had her, she was fed live mice and consequently chewed to all hell by them with a few scars remaining to this day.

Ball pythons react differently to different people, as well. I do educational demonstrations and my normally well behaved male will suddenly be squirmy and try to get to the floor when handled by someone in the audience. He reacts similarly with my 8-year-old nephew, who is still learning how to handle ball pythons.

They tend to react differently to different stimulus, bathing is a prime example. I have some that don't mind it and seem to enjoy the warm water: stretching out and swimming calmly, getting the longest drink of their life, pooping when they're done; and those that seem to abhor it with every fiber of their being: flailing about and attempting escape, only calming when taken out of the water.

[Rob]

This is all my opinion.
They (snakes) do not know their owners, they know pattern of behavior. A owner will typically approach the animal in the same fashion every time the same way. Now someone new will most likely approach the animal with hesitance and fear, that I believe the animal picks up on and will be more likely to strike. This is why most horrible events you hear of happen when a handler is under the influence and not conducting themselves the way they usually would other wise. Or showing of for people, again not going about business as usual. As much as We'd love for our beloved pets to know us, I believe they simply do not.


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[LLLReptile]

They do have their own personalities, their own reactions. While they do recognize people, to a certain extent, it's more that they are habituated to a scent or pattern of behavior than they are reacting in terms of "I like this person".

They can be curious, some are definitely more outgoing or shy than others, but I think it's entirely on their own terms, and they relate to us only as creatures they become used to.

-Jen

[Rob]

Agreed, just like people. Some are jerks and some are nice. Again picking up on behavioral patterns is huge.


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[queenelvis82]

This is great! Very interesting to see everybody's view on this subject. I have a four month year old Caramel Albino Ball Python. When I first got her, she was freaked out of me but not too shy when being handled. After about three months of having Gozer, she is still shy when I look at her inside the enclosure. When I open up the tank, she curls up and is in the striking position. I always rub her before I pick her up and she calms down. For about a minute, she is tense but is smelling the surrounding area, but after that, she relaxes and is very docile and inquisitive.

As the weeks passed by, she is becoming less frightened of me so I know she does not associate my scent with being a predator. Gozer is very sweet and seems like a happy snake in her new home. I believe that her evolving personality is based on familiarity of my scent and realizing that I will not harm her. Sad to say, but I don't think that she actually shows affection towards me: just trust.

Keep the stories coming! I love logging back in and reading what ball python enthusiast's thoughts are on this matter.

Cheers,
Todd