Snake haters drive me crazy!!

My co-workers all know that I breed ball pythons. Some think it's really cool, some think I've lost my mind. LOL

But I always get forwarded stories about snakes that hit the news (as if I haven't already seen them). :)

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Originally Posted by BPelizabeth

I disagree with you on this post. And by by the way agree with Marki!! As you are aware each BP has its own personality...its likes and dislikes. As their keeper you recognize this and act accordingly. My first BP (Elizabeth)thinks she is human...loves to be out...not in the cage. Loves being handled and truly is an ambassodor of her species. The other 2 are not so much so I use my first one for teaching students. Henry my second is getting more and more like Elizabeth and though I would trust him with children...I know it stresses him out...so he doesn't go. Then there is Samantha...who would just like to bite everything...lol. Clearly not one to take to teach kids to like snakes....lol.

And...it is not like we are out at a night club with them around our neck...or going to the store. It is taking them out in a responsible manner.

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:rofl:

I don't know about you, but I'd say it's fairly impossible to tell what a snake likes and dislikes.

Later, Matt

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

:rofl:

I don't know about you, but I'd say it's fairly impossible to tell what a snake likes and dislikes.

Later, Matt

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Ok, DutchHerp, I really don't see why you have to rain on everyone's parade. How do you know what a snake likes or dislikes? Every person posting in this thread is titled to their opinion, and they don't deserve for you to shoot those opinions down.:D

I don't get flak from the family or friends anymore about all my snakes.:P They finally got the picture that they are harmless and here to stay.

I used to take one of my red tails to the park for short walks. Most people weren't afraid of her either.

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Originally Posted by christina_ann0915

Ok, DutchHerp, I really don't see why you have to rain on everyone's parade. How do you know what a snake likes or dislikes? Every person posting in this thread is titled to their opinion, and they don't deserve for you to shoot those opinions down.:D

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It doesn't take a dissertation to conclude than an animal that spends the days under ground and in burrows would prefer to not be out walking around all day.

That is why I rain on your parade, because you're spitting out false information.

Later, Matt

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

:rofl:

I don't know about you, but I'd say it's fairly impossible to tell what a snake likes and dislikes.

Later, Matt

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A snake doesn't like or dislike, that's a human characteristic that we cannot impart on them. So in that way I agree with you. However, we can observe their behaviors and make inferences. Snakes are pretty simple creatures. If they're cold, they move to a warm spot. If they're hungry, they eat. If they gotta take a dump, they'll wait until you've given them fresh bedding... :P No we can't get into their systems and see if a particular activity is stressing them, but we can observe them before, during, and after the activity. If they are calm, continue eating, pooping, breeding, and all their other normal activities... I'm gonna infer that the activity is not stressful.

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Originally Posted by MarkieJ

A snake doesn't like or dislike, that's a human characteristic that we cannot impart on them. So in that way I agree with you. However, we can observe their behaviors and make inferences. Snakes are pretty simple creatures. If they're cold, they move to a warm spot. If they're hungry, they eat. If they gotta take a dump, they'll wait until you've given them fresh bedding... :P No we can't get into their systems and see if a particular activity is stressing them, but we can observe them before, during, and after the activity. If they are calm, continue eating, pooping, breeding, and all their other normal activities... I'm gonna infer that the activity is not stressful.

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That's one way of looking at it.

Another way is to look at the natural history of the animal and provide for them accordingly. Taking them out in public in the middle of the day is quite truthfully the full opposite of what their natural habits are like.

Later, Matt

It might not be their habits....obviously! But as a responsible owner you know when your snake is not liking something. You know if your snake is becoming stressed or remaining calm. Likewise you know if your snake wants to stay out with you or go back into their enclosure! Elizabeth is not like a typical BP...not at all. It is possible to have some that are completely different. Please don't try to tell me that I don't know my very own snake and insinuate that I am being irresponsible. I find that offensive!

If snakes didnt understand, or have likes and dislikes, then all blood pythons, bullsnakes, and texas rat snakes would be brutally agressive. There wouldnt be any that were docile. I would say that shows a degree of a thought process. They dont tame down out of instinct.

Reptiles are very sane animals. Unlike humans, they don't do things that they don't like to do. They do what they want to do. If a snake bites you, it's because, at that moment, it wanted to, and liked it, if only a little bit.

That's how reward centers in the brain work--these things drive action from instinct. I don't think it's the least bit of a stretch to assume that animals like to behave the way they do. Any animal with emotion is capable of that--that's a large part of what emotions are FOR. And snakes do have emotions, albeit primitive ones.

People tend to go too far in avoiding 'anthropomorphism'. They forget that humans are animals, and that other species DO share mental traits with us. Throwing out all hope of understanding an animal's motivations is just as bad as assuming it thinks exactly the way you do.

These animals aren't devoid of emotion, or of motivation. We know that pythons like to have small, tight hiding places because they seek them out, and their stress level reduces when they have them. This is obvious, it's not anthropomorphic.

It takes a social animal to do something it doesn't want to do, in order to achieve some long-term goal.