I think my snake loves me

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Originally Posted by JamieC

I feel just because an animal (any animal even a snake) is not human it does not mean they do have feelings. Do your cats and dogs love you? if any animal can feel they all can.
But trying to give human traits to an animal gets complicated. (after all it is we that do not know what we are, we are animals)

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Not exactly. They, like other pack animals, know that a strong bond between pack members means that they are safer. By following your commands, if you are a strong leader, that the pack will maintain its stability. Dogs and cats do produce some similar chemical impulses to humans, though they are a more primitive form. Snakes do not.

One of the largest problems we have as humans is trying to anthropomorphize our pets and end up treating them like they are humans. This often ends up bad. A dog is a dog, a cat is a cat, and a snake is a snake. Though, dogs and cats have been domesticated for a very long time, and it is only common sense to know that an animal that has been domesticated for near fifteen thousand years will end up picking up some of the basic character traits of their masters. But this still does not mean that dogs are humans. Nor should they be treated as such.

Your dog does not want or need a friend, they need a strong leader, same as a cat. Snakes want neither. They only want food and a way to pass on their DNA.

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Originally Posted by Typical_08

Not exactly. They, like other pack animals, know that a strong bond between pack members means that they are safer. By following your commands, if you are a strong leader, that the pack will maintain its stability. Dogs and cats do produce some similar chemical impulses to humans, though they are a more primitive form. Snakes do not.

One of the largest problems we have as humans is trying to anthropomorphize our pets and end up treating them like they are humans. This often ends up bad. A dog is a dog, a cat is a cat, and a snake is a snake. Though, dogs and cats have been domesticated for a very long time, and it is only common sense to know that an animal that has been domesticated for near fifteen thousand years will end up picking up some of the basic character traits of their masters. But this still does not mean that dogs are humans. Nor should they be treated as such.

Your dog does not want or need a friend, they need a strong leader, same as a cat. Snakes want neither. They only want food and a way to pass on their DNA.

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Very well said. I agree 100%! :gj:

Hasn't what Typical said been said a dozen times in this thread?

Probably, and I think I said it twice. But few people take the time to read thirty plus pages of responses and opinions.

My JCP always comes to me when he gets out of his cage, instead of my sisters or anybody else.

At least he shows that he remembers me.

its amazing that people think their snake(s) loves them. love doesnt exist, only acception and toleration. "love" is an abstract thought and action. do i "love" my wife? i accept her and tolerate her, therefore i am comfortable with her. snakes tolerate and accept us. snakes base their acceptance and tolerance on comfortability with a place or object. my big tiger retic is comfortable with accepting and tolerating anything, anybody, anytime. my albino tiger only is accepts and tolerates me. i can handle him, but he has bitten 4 other people that have tried to handle him. my yellowhead that i used to have only tolerated and accepted my wife never bit her, but bit me several times. a snake in the wild also acts this way. there was a documentary on the discovery channel i watched, that filmed a reticulated python in its natural state. it would not venture more than 4 square miles around where it was used to. and it had one tree that it always coiled by and under when resting or digesting food. it picked up something on that particular tree it accepted and tolerated, feeling comfortable with that tree. it never went to another tree or bush for security and/or comfort. obviously it went to other trees and bushes and what have you, but when it had just consumed a meal, or was shedding or just resting, it always retreated back to that same tree. it was a documentary spanning a 6 month research on this python

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Originally Posted by Melicious

You had me until there. Male wolves that are not part of a pack "play and horse around" because they're testing the waters with each other. Play combat leads to real combat, and one day, the strongest of the male pack will challenge the Alpha of another pack with females. In the end, that play fighting is part of a greater instinct to find a pack to take over and procreate.

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Man its funny how a species that's smarter than a wolf can ascribe all of the male wolves actions to a greater instinct. I wonder if a species smarter than man could ascribe all the complex things humans do to a greater instinct. No that's crazy we are after all humans.

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Originally Posted by Typical_08

Please explain to me why a man would jump on a grenade to save his buddies when he has a wife and child waiting for him at home then. Drive in the human equation does not equal instinct.

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So we meet again Typical_08, I am going to go with "To protect his family." No I am not nor have I been in the military but I have many family members who have and I have discussed this very topic with a psych professor or three. A man would jump on a grenade, and not every man mind you, to protect his buddies when he has been conditioned to believe those buddies are his family and he has been removed from his family for an extended period of time. Societies entire purpose is to override the instincts we have that do not better the group and bolster the ones that do. The military does the same thing in its training to a greater degree.

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Additionally, given the answer you give, how does this relate to snakes being sapient or having emotions? Will a snake give itself so another snake of another bloodline can return to care for their young?

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Again I am with you on this one. Snakes just don't have the parts of the brain for this kinda thing.

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Originally Posted by Egapal

So we meet again Typical_08, I am going to go with "To protect his family." No I am not nor have I been in the military but I have many family members who have and I have discussed this very topic with a psych professor or three. A man would jump on a grenade, and not every man mind you, to protect his buddies when he has been conditioned to believe those buddies are his family and he has been removed from his family for an extended period of time. Societies entire purpose is to override the instincts we have that do not better the group and bolster the ones that do. The military does the same thing in its training to a greater degree.

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I would agree. It has nothing to do with instinct. But it has more to do than just them being family. I don't know if I can accuratly explain it.

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Again I am with you on this one. Snakes just don't have the parts of the brain for this kinda thing.

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Thank you.

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Originally Posted by tigerretic76

its amazing that people think their snake(s) loves them. love doesnt exist, only acception and toleration. "love" is an abstract thought and action. do i "love" my wife? i accept her and tolerate her, therefore i am comfortable with her. snakes tolerate and accept us. snakes base their acceptance and tolerance on comfortability with a place or object. my big tiger retic is comfortable with accepting and tolerating anything, anybody, anytime. my albino tiger only is accepts and tolerates me. i can handle him, but he has bitten 4 other people that have tried to handle him. my yellowhead that i used to have only tolerated and accepted my wife never bit her, but bit me several times. a snake in the wild also acts this way. there was a documentary on the discovery channel i watched, that filmed a reticulated python in its natural state. it would not venture more than 4 square miles around where it was used to. and it had one tree that it always coiled by and under when resting or digesting food. it picked up something on that particular tree it accepted and tolerated, feeling comfortable with that tree. it never went to another tree or bush for security and/or comfort. obviously it went to other trees and bushes and what have you, but when it had just consumed a meal, or was shedding or just resting, it always retreated back to that same tree. it was a documentary spanning a 6 month research on this python

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Love is a human emotion that is shown as a significant amount of care towards one person over many others. Your stating an opinion like it is a fact. Love is a real word with a real definition, and exists as a meaning.
You could tolerate and be comfortable with tons of people, that's what makes your wife different.

If I was just 'tolerated', I wouldn't tolerate that.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

that's what makes your wife different.

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I think he is talking about Helen Fisher's theory on mammalian mating drive. She uses the word tolerate to describe the temporary bond between solitary mammals that stay with the mate until after the young is born. I do not believe that she uses this word to describe love in the human response.