I think my snake loves me

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Originally Posted by KiwisHeaven
Well some of us do keep out snakes as pets...and some of us are a little more open minded then others...
for example...did you see the mythbusters where they tried to find out if plants knew the moods of people?
If not then I think you should find it and watch it...maybe it will open your eyes a little!

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I saw that mythbusters and it showed that plants don't have any connection with the emotions of people. My eyes are still open though.

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Originally Posted by MontyNSpike

I saw that mythbusters and it showed that plants don't have any connection with the emotions of people. My eyes are still open though.

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Plants may or may not care about the emotions of people, but they do have some level of awareness.

I've observed studies in which plants were placed in identical growing boxes. On one end of each box a sound speaker was set up. One speaker played heavy metal, the other played classical. A time-lapse video showed the plants in the heavy metal box tilting away from the speaker. The plants in the classical box moved closer to the speaker.

http://www.dovesong.com/positive_mus...xperiments.asp

A similar study on the growth of water crystals revealed that classical music produces more beautiful formations than death metal. :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=425EQ6mhpzA

Snakes do not feel such emotions. However, my snakes are tame enough so they do not perceive me as a threat -- that's good enough for me. :D

If anyone has a cinnamin, pastel, mohave, lavendar albino, or pied that does NOT love them, PM me and I'll arrange a pick up. I'm sure they'll love ME! :D

I think my snake loves me. Mila pokes her head out when I walk in the room. She's gotten used to my scent. It's also a fact that ball pythons can, over time, learn to recognize their owner's walk and will tap their noses to the glass as a greeting (if they like you. I don't forsee this happening if you stress them out!) :)

I do realize this thread is upwards of a year old or so, but its still kicking and interesting either way, I don't feel like getting into a whole debate, i read the first 10 pages, and its sad to see so many people don't want to except snakes are not just plain instinct, My take is, we may not be like a love that's person to person, or even dog to owner, but its a form of security, that resembles many definitions of love.

I do believe they have the ability to learn, recognize things, maybe not to a huge degree like other species, but definitely not pure instinct,

here's a very interesting study:
http://www.anapsid.org/smartsnakes.html

A snake snubbing a Mouse but eating a rat later is not pure instinct, there has to be some decision.

my point that i don't believe has came up, Instinct is the reactions to different environmental stimuli correct? In the wild, Humans are not really a natural fixture in the environment (one could argue they are much more so now, but anyway), With humans implemented, each snake imprints a different idea of what a human is, how it acts, how to act around it, and what to do. Some snakes curl up and run, some let you hold it, others strike, Its all there perception of humans. We are a new additive to there world, and with that, there past inherited instinct like feeding cant compare. We are new to them, so they must adapt to deal with us in a certain way. This can not be inherited instinct, there is something in there brain that makes a connection between something new, and its perception, They have to actively adjust and make connections to survive, and with new things, this is some thinking capacity call it what ever you want, but there is no set rule on whether snakes can love, or care about you, Its all based of if its connection it makes with you as a person, and what it sees you as. For example many don't see humans as a threat over time, This could be called reason, or something else, Your choice.

Unless we can teach a snake to talk (which would be basically impossible...but really cool), and hear what it had to say, or live with its brain for a day, we can not say whether they do think consciously, or are they all instinct, and whether they see us as a threat, nuisance, or something they "love" ,

So IMO, this argument really holds no water for the fact that there are studies that can be interpreted in any way, Beliefs, and all it is is arguing over unfounded ideas that have no backing but hearsay, and what you want to believe, some of it is pride, you cant think that your snake thinks, or if you want to say your snake loves, you. Opinions are great, but unless someone can tell me they have talked with a snake and told me what id had to say, I believe there is no answer to this, and that my perception of the snakes perceptions of me is what i believe.
Ben

Ben, interesting Article (summary by Melissa Kaplan of research done by others). But I'm not sure it supports any idea of love.

Here is what I posit:

Can snakes feel emotion? They can feel fear, anxiety, protectiveness (or eggs/young), and calm. So why can't they feel other emotions? Perhaps contentment, anger, and desire? Should we place various emotions in a hierarchy in an attempt to distinguish between base and higher emotions? How far up the pyramid would snakes reach? Would different families or species reach different levels of emotional capability?

OK, now for my provocative comment, but not intended as harsh or critical - just food for thought. Do some humans anthropomorphize, while others disallow emotional capabilities that animals ARE capable of? Is that how we rationalize our decisions to capture, cage, and keep animals the way we do? If we knew snakes were capable of love and sadness, would we still keep them in racks? :confused:

Great points, I think your post was really what i was trying to get across, but really failed at doing so... :gj:

Anyway, Its a little of both, But to say they can or cant either way is I beleive a Ignorant statement, Opinions is one thing, but flat statements and argueing it without any proof is irresponsable.

The article i posted does not show love, I understood that, but it does show the ability to learn, which means that they can NOT be all instinct. People who say they Can Not love argue that point with the beleif that they are just pure instinct. And with that, i beleive that that article shows they are not just instinct, so it does not limit or count out the ability to love.

Our Humanized Idea of love only works with humans, TO apply it to other things may be hard, and really get people upset, or defensive, just off of pride, or fear, or anything.

I dont keep my guy in racks. But really for other reasons, Id more or less think that housing in racks can be done correctly, but a Adult female in a 32Qt, Or even male may be pushing it. No matter if they naturally are usually in a cave, thats not there whole world, and its not right to make it that. But again they are mainly born into this, and learn to adjust just like domesticated Dogs learned to read humans and live according to there human families. But really thats my opinion, and again i went OT of the thing.

Sorry guys, but really, i do enjoy this conversation, and really though it may not lead anywhere, is very insightful and i have learned some new things.
Ben

Ben, yes, I think it's an interesting conversation.

Dogs have been domesticated over thousands of years. Though some snakes have been kept for centuries, or even thousands of years, the process of breeding them in captivity to the extent of approximating domestication has only been going on for, what, 100 years?

Also, one thing that has us all confounded is the fact that they are reptiles. We can relate so much more to mammals. There is still a lot of unknowns about reptiles. To me, they are one of the frontiers of which only the tip of the iceberg has been touched. And I'm glad I got to touch it. :8:

Actually, I have a response to Re: I think my snake loves me.

Check out my post... "My Snakey Poo Loves Me!" to find PROOF!!

I'm so tired of seeing this thread. Really. But I guess I don't mind it because it'll always be something people have to argue over.

I did want to comment on something Melissa said: "Do some humans anthropomorphize, while others disallow emotional capabilities that animals ARE capable of?"

This is a good point. People always want to point the finger at those who believe snakes have emotional capacities and say, "You're just anthropomorphizing. It's silly to put human capabilities onto animals. You're too sensitive" etc. But what about turning it around? These same people seem completely unwilling to admit that animals (or in this case snakes) may have any emotion at all. They consistently return to the argument of anthropomorphization. Which would also lead me to believe that they are, "disallow[ing] emotional capabilities that animals ARE capable of".

Think about the meat market - animals that are bred and produced specifically for meat consumption. Look at any of PETA's videos and you'll see how bad some of the conditions can be for these animals. If the persons responsible for caring for these animals and transporting them, etc. believed they were capable of feeling emotion, would they really be able to treat them in this manner? And these aren't reptiles; these are cows and pigs - animals that have been scientifically proven to have a reasonable amount of intelligence. (No, I don't have any links to sites that back this up. Go ahead and start arguing that all of this is moot now. :rolleyes:) But really, if animals could talk we'd all be vegetarians. It seems some people only believe an animal is capable of intelligence and emotion if it can talk - which rules out just about everything. :(

I completely agree that there are those who anthropomorphize to an extreme. But there are also those unwilling to accept any humanoid capabilities from animals altogether.

Not sure if I added to the "my snake does/does not love me" argument, but I just wanted to throw that out there. Good point, Melissa. :gj:

And for the record - I do believe my snakes recognize me as their handler and prefer to be in my hands than the hands of others. I don't necessarily believe that qualifies as "love" but there is some level of comfort and that's gotta count for something, right? :P

I just don't like the term "love" used with reptiles. To me, love means "unconditional devotion and affection." I'll admit snakes tolerate human interaction, and maybe some actually do enjoy being handled. But I'm sorry, but I just don't believe any reptile shows unconditional love to its owner. A dog or a horse? Probably. A cat or a macaw? Perhaps. Fish and herps? Just don't think so.

Thank you, Mindibun!

Ophiucus, there are so many more kinds of love than unconditional among humans. While most dogs may love unconditionally, very few humans truly do. So does that make dogs more sophisticated b/c they are less petty?

Perhaps there is some other word for how reptiles can feel about their keepers. At the same time, maybe the animal hierarchy is upside down. Should humans be on the bottom since we still enslave others (both human and not), frequently have our priorities all messed up (possessions before love and health), and all too often put conditions on our love??

I know we'll never agree on this particular issue. But at least we agree that SNAKES ROCK!!! :banana:

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Originally Posted by MelissaFlipski

Ophiucus, there are so many more kinds of love than unconditional among humans. While most dogs may love unconditionally, very few humans truly do. So does that make dogs more sophisticated b/c they are less petty?

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Yeah, I can understand that. I mean, I don't "love" pizza in the same way I love my girlfriend. But perhaps thats my point; our society throws that word around so non-chalantly and loosely that few people really know how to define it. I mean, how many times you do actually say the word and really mean it? That, I think, is what I'm getting at.

We humans are so good at tossing the word around, so we so easily want to use it for describing how our pets see us. So yeah, I guess "love" means different things to different people in different situations. But in its purest definition, I doubt its the most accurate term to describe how a bearded dragon or ball python feels about its owner.

Seems to me that before we can answer the question whether snakes can love or not we need to define the word love. Webster' Dictionary describes love as "an intense affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties". (Or a score of zero in tennis).

I think it's important to remember that love is a concept only farmiliar to humans. We feel intense affection for others but that feeling is only in our heads. When we die so does our love. If a human mind is not thinking about love then the love does not exist. Love is only a concept in our heads. Love (in itself) is not a tangable thing. It's a concept. The question remains... Are snakes capable of intense affection for another out of kinship or personal ties? Practicing no, capable maybe!!!

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Originally Posted by Ophiuchus

Yeah, I can understand that. I mean, I don't "love" pizza in the same way I love my girlfriend. But perhaps thats my point; our society throws that word around so non-chalantly and loosely that few people really know how to define it. I mean, how many times you do actually say the word and really mean it? That, I think, is what I'm getting at.

We humans are so good at tossing the word around, so we so easily want to use it for describing how our pets see us. So yeah, I guess "love" means different things to different people in different situations. But in its purest definition, I doubt its the most accurate term to describe how a bearded dragon or ball python feels about its owner.

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What I meant was REAL love, just different kinds. For example, how I love my husband is different from how I love my kids, how I love my mom, how I love my friends. How I love my dog is even different from how I love my snakes. Also, very few REAL loves are unconditional. That is a very high standard not often met.

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Originally Posted by Mindibun

I completely agree that there are those who anthropomorphize to an extreme. But there are also those unwilling to accept any humanoid capabilities from animals altogether.

And for the record - I do believe my snakes recognize me as their handler and prefer to be in my hands than the hands of others. I don't necessarily believe that qualifies as "love" but there is some level of comfort and that's gotta count for something, right? :P

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I'm sure this thread is getting pretty old, but I've seen this issue raised a couple times and couldn't resist putting in my 2 sence. I agree as well that people anthropomorphize too often and not many things bug me more. No other animal is like us humans, and that's why I love em all so much, especially reptiles!:D
I also believe my snake recognizes me and prefers me to other handlers, simply because we've created a trusting relationship and she feels more secure in my hands as opposed to an unfamiliar smelling and feeling stranger. I believe if you do not fear the snake it will not fear you(well, at least in many cases). Basically, snakes didn't survive millions of years by being emotional animals, they survived based on their instincts, but that doesn't make them mindless, stupid animals.

Do you really believe your dog loves you unconditionally? I know many people say that jumping around when you get home is a sign of love, wagging their tail, barking for you, excited to see you is all love... but I have to heartedly disagree. I tend to side with Cesar Milan on the mindset of dogs.

(Not an exact quote, rather an idea)
Dogs don't think about how you feel, or why your feelings are hurt when they do a certain action, they know that they can act aggressive/mopey, and get the desired result from the human. They are conditioning you.

I still have to say that animals rely specifically on learning behaviors and instincts. I don't believe they love, but their degree of security to the point of pleasure and affection is enough to make people believe that they are "loving" us as we love them.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Do you really believe your dog loves you unconditionally? I know many people say that jumping around when you get home is a sign of love, wagging their tail, barking for you, excited to see you is all love... but I have to heartedly disagree. I tend to side with Cesar Milan on the mindset of dogs.

(Not an exact quote, rather an idea)
Dogs don't think about how you feel, or why your feelings are hurt when they do a certain action, they know that they can act aggressive/mopey, and get the desired result from the human. They are conditioning you.

I still have to say that animals rely specifically on learning behaviors and instincts. I don't believe they love, but their degree of security to the point of pleasure and affection is enough to make people believe that they are "loving" us as we love them.

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Cesar Milan is great; I wish I could be the East Coast Dog Whisperer :cool:

I think all beings, including humans, dogs (and I adore dogs...) and snakes are selfish creatures who like others based on what they can get from them- for humans, that very well can be affection, understanding, companionship, validation, enjoyment of similar interests, sex, or anything else. Would you be best friends with your best friend if he or she never spoke to you, never made you laugh, have fun, or feel good? I'm not saying humans are totally incapable of selfless devotion, but for the most part, I think everything any living creature does is motivated in SOME level by self reward. And that's OKAY! For dogs it can be food, play time, walks, ear scratches... for snakes it can be body heat. Love is hard to define, and my view of it is fairly cynical. I know I "love" my snakes because they give me joy. I find them beautiful to look at, delightful to handle, fascinating to share life with, and fun to take out and about and share with others who may previously have feared them. I am excited at the thought of breeding them, and I truly care about them as individual beings with unique personalities. I never want so many that I can't see them that way, and their welfare will always mean more to me than anything they can produce. Do they love me? Surely not by traditional definition! However, I still voted yes, because I feel like they are my companions, and I do NOT believe that snakes are complete machines, incapable of any type of feeling.

Well I want my snake to like me and care about me. But you can tell that they are comfortable around you because you're the owner. I found out that my BP is more comfortable around me because when I let my friend hold him he didn't act the same, kinda looked like he was going to attack. Haha.
I just love my baby and wish he had the capability of loving back. The only thing he probably understands is trust. Which he trusts that I won't kill or hurt him, so he's comfortable with me.

Do you mean to tell me that when my BP goes into his hide, he's not writing bad poetry and listening to Morrissey? That he's actually cold, or hot, or trying to escape from the giant, armed mammals walking around, that pick him up and maybe might want to eat him?

Huh.

(Sorry...couldn't resist. I mean, this thread is two years old. Sheesh. And no, I didn't read all 27 pages of comments.)

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Originally Posted by megabrain

Do you mean to tell me that when my BP goes into his hide, he's not writing bad poetry and listening to Morrissey? That he's actually cold, or hot, or trying to escape from the giant, armed mammals walking around, that pick him up and maybe might want to eat him?

Huh.

(Sorry...couldn't resist. I mean, this thread is two years old. Sheesh. And no, I didn't read all 27 pages of comments.)
04-27-2008 09:49 AM

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Awwww, come on now, give us snake huggers a chance and read the whole thread. It's as entertaining as a 600-page thread on Fauna. :D

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Originally Posted by MelissaFlipski

Awwww, come on now, give us snake huggers a chance and read the whole thread. It's as entertaining as a 600-page thread on Fauna. :D

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I actually read about 6 or 7 pages before I even realized how many pages there were and how long it had been going on. Then I skipped to the end, cuz I'm lazy. :D

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Originally Posted by megabrain

I actually read about 6 or 7 pages before I even realized how many pages there were and how long it had been going on. Then I skipped to the end, cuz I'm lazy. :D

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Thats exactly what I did!

I have to go with the statement that my snakes don't love me. They just associate me with the big thing that picks them up....

If they can feel fear they can feel love.

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Originally Posted by megabrain

Do you mean to tell me that when my BP goes into his hide, he's not writing bad poetry and listening to Morrissey?

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no way my BP is a nonconformist too.:rofl:

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

If they can feel fear they can feel love.

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holy shhhhhh! royal i feel the same way. some may call it instinct to why they act in fear but never the less it is a feeling.if something has the capability to feel fear,why not love or hate?

to say any living thing with a brain is mindless is somewhat ignorant imo.we have no idea wat these awesome creatures really think and for a human to say they cant think or feel a certain way is just,well pooop i cant think of a word but its kinda dumb.

i have only been collecting ball pythons as pets for under a year and noticed every snake is different.i have 5 now and there is one that will sit on my lap for hours w/o moving a muscle.i have another that will constantly try to escape into the couch or anywhere dark and snug.i have another that will chill on my lap for a few,then crawl to another spot and chill and etc.i have one that absolutley hates being picked up but once hes in my hands for a sec he calms down hellaz.and finally my captive hatched sweetheart.now this snake is by far the nicest ball python on the planet,no joke!call me crazy but this snake(i hate calling her a snake) shows a unlimited amount of affection.
for example
when i take her out,her ability to make me feel loved by her is felt w/o a doubt.as i said i have 4 others that are ok to be handled,but this girl.
she will firmly not tightly circle my wrist gently,rubbing her nose against me(not in a typical stressful manor)and it is awesome!
she to me just dont have snake like tendencies.again call me nutz watever but if i hold her close to my face she will extend out to lick my lips.lol,and yes there is always fresh water in her tank even though she loves to crap in it.

ok i think i am done.lol i just wanted to share a few things and if this changes one persons opinion about how they think i will be one happy herper.thanks for reading!
philium

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

If they can feel fear they can feel love.

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I think a guy named Walter Cannon identified something called "Fight or Flight Response. You should read up on it. ;)

I don't think that we can perceive a snakes emotions at all similar to ours. We can not tell nor can we be sure that the snake has emotions other than the instinctual flight, fight, and eat responses.
However, from personal experience, I feel that they may have emotions that we can not categorize as 'our' human definition of emotion. Why does our love have to be any different than their comfort?

For scientific purposes only, it has been recorded that humans and dolphins are the only two species that have recorded brain waves of mating for 'pleasure and enjoyment'.
If such an animal like a dolphin can think this, and there has been evidence of homosexuality in apes, then why can't other species have unexplainable feelings?
In my personal experience I have noticed that certain species of snakes show different aspects of personalities than others. Corn snakes tend to be more fearful and 'flight oriented' while Balls are very docile and calm.
I have also noticed that ball pythons can associate specific smells (such as the smell of their owner) with a comfortable experience, where their natural reaction is relaxation. We learned in anatomy that the 'smell' center of the brain is the same part of the brain used to store memories, thus snakes too would have more accurate memories or recorded thoughts from smells (considering their smelling sense is much higher than ours).

So can snakes love? Maybe not the way we see it. But they can fear, be angry, be comfortable, and be unfamiliar. Maybe it is just the 'flight or fight' response and it is all instict. But I think that if every animal was entirely guided by instinct, there would be no variability in personalities that some people claim snakes don't have.
I have seen variability, comfort, along with different aspects of personality that may not just be an aspect of fear or comfort, but maybe more.

Maybe we can never truely tell.

Your human brain anatomy is a little off. the ofcatory cortex is located on the supperficial (outside) aspect of the brain. Emotions are controlled however by the limbic system's amygdala which is locaded closer to the cor of the brain. But, the limbic association cortex is ajacent to the olfactory cortex (this is thought to be why scent is closly related to memory in humans). Snake's brains are organized much more differently than a humans and lack a well developed cortex all together.

TimmyG hit the nail on the head. :gj:
Smells trigger those strong memories due to the proximity of the memory center.

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

So can snakes love? Maybe not the way we see it. But they can fear, be angry, be comfortable, and be unfamiliar. Maybe it is just the 'flight or fight' response and it is all instict. But I think that if every animal was entirely guided by instinct, there would be no variability in personalities that some people claim snakes don't have.
I have seen variability, comfort, along with different aspects of personality that may not just be an aspect of fear or comfort, but maybe more.

Maybe we can never truely tell.

For scientific purposes only, it has been recorded that humans and dolphins are the only two species that have recorded brain waves of mating for 'pleasure and enjoyment'.
If such an animal like a dolphin can think this, and there has been evidence of homosexuality in apes, then why can't other species have unexplainable feelings?

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As far as species besides our own (and actually those species are bonobos and dolphins) that's not exaaaaaactly true. It depends on what you mean by "pleasure". The only thing that can be said conclusively is that they have sex at arbitrary times or regularly. Monogamy, polygamy, homosexuality, and masturbation exists within nature as well, but obviously it's in a different way then it exists within human beings. We've built cultures and businesses around our sexuality.

I still maintain that reptiles absolutely do not have capability for emotion. It's just my opinion, but I think it's pretty naive to think they do. Reptiles were designed to respond purelyto their sharp instincts, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

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Originally Posted by TimmyG

Your human brain anatomy is a little off. the ofcatory cortex is located on the supperficial (outside) aspect of the brain. Emotions are controlled however by the limbic system's amygdala which is locaded closer to the cor of the brain. But, the limbic association cortex is ajacent to the olfactory cortex (this is thought to be why scent is closly related to memory in humans). Snake's brains are organized much more differently than a humans and lack a well developed cortex all together.

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I don't know the exact details about it. I just knew something about smells being in a similar section to the brain and triggering memories. I just started anatomy a week ago and it was mentioned in a movie. :oops:

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Originally Posted by darkangel

TimmyG hit the nail on the head. :gj:
Smells trigger those strong memories due to the proximity of the memory center.


As far as species besides our own (and actually those species are bonobos and dolphins) that's not exaaaaaactly true. It depends on what you mean by "pleasure". The only thing that can be said conclusively is that they have sex at arbitrary times or regularly. Monogamy, polygamy, homosexuality, and masturbation exists within nature as well, but obviously it's in a different way then it exists within human beings. We've built cultures and businesses around our sexuality.

I still maintain that reptiles absolutely do not have capability for emotion. It's just my opinion, but I think it's pretty naive to think they do. Reptiles were designed to respond purelyto their sharp instincts, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

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I don't disagree with you. But I think there has to be something else that can form their personalities as not all snakes and reptiles act the same way. Those effects that run them off course of their pure instinctual behaviors makes it possible for other environmental factors to have an effect on them.
Technically, if a snake was run by pure instinct alone, wouldn't they all act exactly the same no matter what the situation?

I love my snakes but they don't return the favor.

Every week my BP's show me they love me by eating all their dinner and never complaini.I wish my twin sons would do that for me after I cook.:)

Its all conditioned behavior and association with familiarity. Snakes are calmer with people they're familiar with (i.e. more secure with familiar settings, etc). No love or liking involved, IMO.

My snake doesn't love me... but I'm sure he prefers me (in fact on know this because he'll ball up when someone else holds him and relaxes when I hold him) but that is only because I'm familiar. I'm sure if my boyfriend (or anyone else for that matter) handled him as much as I did he would be relaxed with them too.

I don't really care about the facts, my ball just loves being rubbed gently on the belly. If he would ate me, he wouldn't stay on me. I know I love him ALOT!:gj:

I know he recognizes me and my youngest. He likes us both and when he sees her, he immediately gets on her. The same for me.:blowkiss:

So that's my response to your poll even if a snake can't feel anything.

Have a nice day! :P

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Originally Posted by python kid

no,snakes don't have feelings they're mindless.

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snakes are not mindless they are void of the emotions that mamals have that's all... snakes are actually quite smart.I mean not teachable smart but in their own right..

My snakes love me because I like to think they do, and I love them quite dearly.


Heck, I provide them with heat, shelter, water, homegrown ratties. Whats not to love?! :D

They haven't tried to assassinate me in my sleep yet either...yeah, I'd say it's love ;)

I don't think your giving snakes enough credit. They have fundamental or if in our case Primal emotions. Kyros is my baby. He goes with me everywhere when its warm enough. I can say that for most of you that have more than 2 snakes that you don't really spend as much time with yours as I do. I am constantly watching him. I have noticed little bits and peices of deeper hidden emotions than one would think to ever look for. That said I belive that my snake loves me. His constant trust and his will to always have an up beat attitude no matter if we are at Chipotle, Borders, the plaza, or the Rennaisance festival. He loves his outings. He never tries to get away or freaks out, he stays close to me just chillin until I pick him up. Kyros is a very interesting ball python. He never tries to escape, only just exploring. Calypso on the other hand is one fast little lady. And there is a difference. I don't half@$$ anything with my snakes( I'm not saying you guys half@$$ at all I'm just making a point). They get mice that I breed so I know they are getting the highest quality food I could offer them. The only water I use for them is purified Spring water( includes misting, soaking, and drinking water which is changed daily). and No one touches either of my babies without first using purell. I believe that my Python Paradise helps these emotions show alittle more. Ask anyone who has had a ball python and has seen Kyros if he has emotions and they will tell you "oh heck yeah! more than my BP". Kyros is my little prince and his attitude will show you just how much of a charmer he is. I'll make a youtube video and prove to you that snakes do have emotions!

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Originally Posted by cassandra

My boa loves to pee on me...does that count? :P

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LOL That is so sick. I am glad that has never happened to me. Your snake must love you... but mine does not love me.

One of my BPs always pokes her little (ok, really big) head out of her hide to see me when I come into the room. I think this is so adorable.

Same snake bit the crap out of me last night...lol. It is always hungry and that is one of its main concerns in life. The other concerns are that she is not in danger, and that her tub is clean. And I'm sure pretty sure breeding will be added to that list very soon.

I think that snakes learn to trust their keepers (some-not all), and that is the extent of the bond. & I am perfectly happy with that (actually, I am in awe of that). And as their keeper, what I feel towards them is an amazing amount of responsibility (& respect). Every aspect of their daily lives is in my care. & I must meet their needs everyday for the rest of each of their lives. However, I cannot compare how I feel about my snakes to how I feel about my dogs. My dogs are like friends (ok, silly ones that can't take anything seriously,with a decreased mental capacity).

My god this thread is still going I think we should make a poll on which one will go longer the "last one to post wins" or this one. lol.

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Originally Posted by sg1trogdor

My god this thread is still going I think we should make a poll on which one will go longer the "last one to post wins" or this one. lol.

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No kidding, right? This dead horse has been beaten beyond recognition.

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

I don't think your giving snakes enough credit. They have fundamental or if in our case Primal emotions. Kyros is my baby. He goes with me everywhere when its warm enough. I can say that for most of you that have more than 2 snakes that you don't really spend as much time with yours as I do. I am constantly watching him. I have noticed little bits and peices of deeper hidden emotions than one would think to ever look for. That said I belive that my snake loves me. His constant trust and his will to always have an up beat attitude no matter if we are at Chipotle, Borders, the plaza, or the Rennaisance festival. He loves his outings. He never tries to get away or freaks out, he stays close to me just chillin until I pick him up. Kyros is a very interesting ball python. He never tries to escape, only just exploring. Calypso on the other hand is one fast little lady. And there is a difference. I don't half@$$ anything with my snakes( I'm not saying you guys half@$$ at all I'm just making a point). They get mice that I breed so I know they are getting the highest quality food I could offer them. The only water I use for them is purified Spring water( includes misting, soaking, and drinking water which is changed daily). and No one touches either of my babies without first using purell. I believe that my Python Paradise helps these emotions show alittle more. Ask anyone who has had a ball python and has seen Kyros if he has emotions and they will tell you "oh heck yeah! more than my BP". Kyros is my little prince and his attitude will show you just how much of a charmer he is. I'll make a youtube video and prove to you that snakes do have emotions!

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Please tell me you're not taking your snake into restaurants - I read that wrong, right?

We're fighting to keep our rights to have these wonderful animals, we don't need people to be irresponsible and force our snakes on others by toting them along with us in public.

I promise you - you are getting more pleasure from this than Kyros is. Try not to love him to death. I mean that with the most respect.

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

I don't think your giving snakes enough credit. They have fundamental or if in our case Primal emotions. Kyros is my baby. He goes with me everywhere when its warm enough. I can say that for most of you that have more than 2 snakes that you don't really spend as much time with yours as I do. I am constantly watching him. I have noticed little bits and peices of deeper hidden emotions than one would think to ever look for. That said I belive that my snake loves me. His constant trust and his will to always have an up beat attitude no matter if we are at Chipotle, Borders, the plaza, or the Rennaisance festival. He loves his outings. He never tries to get away or freaks out, he stays close to me just chillin until I pick him up. Kyros is a very interesting ball python. He never tries to escape, only just exploring. Calypso on the other hand is one fast little lady. And there is a difference. I don't half@$$ anything with my snakes( I'm not saying you guys half@$$ at all I'm just making a point). They get mice that I breed so I know they are getting the highest quality food I could offer them. The only water I use for them is purified Spring water( includes misting, soaking, and drinking water which is changed daily). and No one touches either of my babies without first using purell. I believe that my Python Paradise helps these emotions show alittle more. Ask anyone who has had a ball python and has seen Kyros if he has emotions and they will tell you "oh heck yeah! more than my BP". Kyros is my little prince and his attitude will show you just how much of a charmer he is. I'll make a youtube video and prove to you that snakes do have emotions!

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Is this a serious post?

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Originally Posted by RoyalGuardian

I don't think your giving snakes enough credit. They have fundamental or if in our case Primal emotions.

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:8::rofl:

Love is a very complex emotion. Snakes, and other animals, in my opinion, cannot feel it. They feel happiness and they can like things that you do but thats it. They just associate you with good things. It depends on if you would define love as that.