Can snakes tell?

[MacWin]

Oh sure when he's being a stinker he's mine :lol:

[gozetec02]

I dont know about sensing fear they might be able to fell a persons heart beat speed upwhen being handled i dont think they see a person as being scared. I had to teach my wife that when she handles Jojo she needs to support the entire body. When they feel like they are going to fall or they dont feel that they dont have a stable "footing" they will move around to get comfortable. And it does seem that Jojo knows me or he associates me with food. Either way when i handle him he usually cruises around and smells me and if my wife happens to walk by he will stretch out smelling her and if she comes close enough he will go to her.

With all that I say yes. Maybe its recognition or maybe just association to something or someone that makes it feel safe.

I'm not sure where I fit into this discussion, but its a good discussion nontheless, lol.

[JLC]

I think there is some room to say that snakes recognize certain people in some way. Exactly how, or what they associate that person with, I couldn't say. But MrsMac brought up a good question...do snakes sense fear? I don't think they do in the same way that say, dogs, would. But I think they can certainly pick up on someone's fear or discomfort when being handled. The first time my daughter held Caesar in the petstore, he was just fine in her hands, and in mine...even though we were strangers to him, and he was just a little tyke of a colubrid. Now he's bigger and very secure in his home...and quite used to us handling him. But when one of Petra's friends tries to hold him, he suddenly gets very squirmy and agitated. I think because they are timid and nervous about holding him, he picks up on that and doesn't feel secure in their hands.

[Eddie_Z]

I want to know can snakes sense fear or if the handler is uncomfortable with handling the snake.

Sheer speculation on my part Mama Mac, but I can say that when I first had Hissy, i was scared poopless when i would try to handle her. She would hiss really hard at me (thus the name). So, when I would grab her she would Hiss & when i would handle her my heartbeat would go through the roof & she would get even more frantic & freaked out. But, after the first couple of handling sessions, once I was sure that she wouldn't actually bite me, i was calmer when handling & it sure seemed to keep her calmer.

[Ginevive]

I think that they just think of us as parts of the scenery. They either see something as a threat; fod; or part of the landscape. That'd explain why WC adults, as well as both wc and cb baby BPs, are so skittish around humans; they were not yet "brought up" around people and thus see them as a nonnatural part of their landscape.