Is my ball python unique? (long story)

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Originally Posted by Jmarshall

Obviously reptiles are not mammals and should not be given emotion as such but there is research that shows a reptiles brain is not as simple as we once thought. I had read an article a while back that shows a study on reptilian brains and how they are not so different from our own.

https://massivesci.com/articles/liza...e-brain-human/

The study was done on lizards, not snakes, and what a reptile's brain is actually capable of is still TBD. I think the bottom line is we have no idea what they actually experience so it is important to treat all animals with respect and dignity. Do I think your snake experience "love" as you imagine? Absolutely not. Their brains are different and work in a different way than ours. I do think it is important to keep this in mind because, as was mentioned earlier, signs of stress can be missed. Your snakes "missions" could easily be a stressed out animal. Just food for thought.

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Interesting article, if my snake isn't showing affection or love then he sure is showing respect for his care taker. I can assure you that my snake is not stressed out at all as he eats fine and seems perfectly healthy. When I take him out he seems to enjoy his time out and when I put him back he just "smushes" on the front glass like he wants to come out for more missions. To me that says having 3 hours out doesn't stress him out because after I put him back he just wants out for more. I gradually gave him more and more missions as he grew up so it's not like he started off getting 3 hours out a day, I know that would probably stress out a young snake but he grew into getting more and more over a 5 year period.

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Originally Posted by distaff

If you haven't come across it already, you might enjoy Carla's channel, OneSoftKiss. While her opinions and husbandry practices are not shared by many here, she works with her animals on a daily basis, and claims to have formed strong bonds with them.

Seems to me, there have always been two camps: the BF Skinner "Black Box" group, and the Konrad Lorentz group. Not much in common between the two. I start with the strictly impersonal science first, but if I see more, I'll trust my instincts.

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That channel looks interesting, I will definitely take a look at that today, thanks for the recommendation. :)

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Originally Posted by Valyndris

Interesting article, if my snake isn't showing affection or love then he sure is showing respect for his care taker. I can assure you that my snake is not stressed out at all as he eats fine and seems perfectly healthy. When I take him out he seems to enjoy his time out and when I put him back he just "smushes" on the front glass like he wants to come out for more missions. To me that says having 3 hours out doesn't stress him out because after I put him back he just wants out for more. I gradually gave him more and more missions as he grew up so it's not like he started off getting 3 hours out a day, I know that would probably stress out a young snake but he grew into getting more and more over a 5 year period.

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Well that’s awesome and, yes, it does sound as if you have a strong bond with your snake. As long as the snake is well looked after; that’s all that matters!


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by distaff

If you haven't come across it already, you might enjoy Carla's channel, OneSoftKiss. While her opinions and husbandry practices are not shared by many here, she works with her animals on a daily basis, and claims to have formed strong bonds with them.

Seems to me, there have always been two camps: the BF Skinner "Black Box" group, and the Konrad Lorentz group. Not much in common between the two. I start with the strictly impersonal science first, but if I see more, I'll trust my instincts.

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I took a look at some of her videos, very interesting as her opinions differ from popular beliefs. Like her I believe there is more to snakes than what science has shown. Just because a scientist hasn't discovered it doesn't mean it's not true. I do believe if you put a lot of work into it you can get affection from a snake. I have no proof but the experiences I've had with my snake tell me they can be affectionate. 1SoftKiss believes her snakes love to be out with her and enjoy their time spent with her and I totally agree. I will definitely be watching more of her videos as she has an interesting perspective on snakes.

Thanks again for showing me this channel as I now have lots of snake content to watch and well who doesn't like watching snake videos? :)

I think we need to remember that all snakes of a given species are not the same, & that what one may find stressful, another may find stimulating & normal,
especially when they've gradually gotten used to those situations. I've known many snakes, including some siblings, and some just adapt & appear to like
handling and/or exploring more than others. In a previous house, I had a fairly empty & safe bedroom in which I used to allow my pet snakes some exploration
time, and I've also taken some of my snakes (not BPs) to "meet & greets" for hours at a time with no negative effects or bad attitudes...and in fact, I've gotten
home from more formal snake programs & found some snakes wanting to come back out & be held. We'll never truly know what's in a snake's mind until some
of us learn to be reincarnated as snakes, & then again as humans who can write about it (lol)...until then I'm keeping an open mind, & anthropomorphic or not,
thank Valyndris for sharing thoughts & experiences.

I agree
Who really knows exactly how a reptile or any other animals brain fully functions for that matter.
We can only guess and observe
But if we are observant enough and know our animals behaviour well , the more we will learn

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