Do your animals not like certian people? More questions....

[Skyrivers]

Some of my animals don't like certain people. There is this one guy that keeps coming by and asking to hold Rainbow. Rainbow doesn't like him. IDK why? Last time I diverted him to holding another animal. She always tries to get away from him and if she cant get away she pees and poops on him to prove her point. When I took her from him the last time I allowed him to hold her she crawled around my body and was breathing heavily for a few minuets and could visibly see she was stressed. After being on my shoulders and arms a few minuets after he left she relaxed again. He didn't do anything I could see to her. She just doesn't like him almost to the point of panic. She saw me as safe and gave him the stink eye until he left. This was the only time I was worried she might actually bite someone. Happy she didn't though. It was interesting to have a 10 Ft snake grab you and crawl to you quickly for safety like a small child. She was fast and visibly nervous. She would not go into her box which should have been another safe place for her. She is strong and makes me appreciate how difficult it would be to argue with her when she is full grown. She was not trying to hurt me or him. Just get away from him and to me for comfort.


Has anyone else experienced this?

Does your animal see you as safe haven when stressed?

What is your relationship like with your snakes?

[silverbill]

My ball pythons don’t care who holds them. I doubt they have the capacity to recognize me personally let alone anyone else. They don’t care who it is but more how the person holds them. For example if someone who doesn’t know how to hold is holding them in one hand with minimal support, they’ll be uncomfortable and try to get away. Or if anyone moves really fast towards them to grab/touch them, they won’t be happy.

[Skyrivers]

My ball pythons don’t care who holds them. I doubt they have the capacity to recognize me personally let alone anyone else. They don’t care who it is but more how the person holds them. For example if someone who doesn’t know how to hold is holding them in one hand with minimal support, they’ll be uncomfortable and try to get away. Or if anyone moves really fast towards them to grab/touch them, they won’t be happy.

I was keeping an eye out for that. He did seam to know how to hold her properly and this was not the first time she rejected him. Just her response was stronger this time. He will not be allowed to hold her again for sure.

[bcr229]

There's no way to know what is setting your snake off. Could be a scent from his soap, deodorant, laundry detergent, etc. Could be that he's nervous holding her and while you can't see it, she can feel it.

[Bogertophis]

I've only rarely seen any of my snakes show an aversion to someone else holding them to where they tried to get away from them to come back to me.
As already speculated, could be odors or the way they're holding them, but nothing that I could tell either. I think reasons could vary: whatever they've
decided to avoid, it's to return to us because they feel safer to be around the person that smells & feels familiar.

[Sauzo]

My old Nile Monitor hated one friend of mine. I used to let him wander around the floor in my apt and when said friend came over, my monitor would arch up, hiss like crazy and swing his tail. He took a swing once and lucky for my friend, he was fast. The tail missed him and put a very nice dent into the sheet rock wall. He was the only one my monitor hated. Never changed and he would always arch up and his at him every time he saw just him lol. And let me tell you, an angry 5 foot monitor is something that isnt fun to mess with.

[GiddyGoat]

Honestly I have noticed a change in Dewey's normally outgoing and curious behavior with just a SINGLE person. It's only happened one time, and it was to my ex boyfriend. I had Dewey out while he was over, and Dewey's demeanor just shifted completely. He stared at him and would not divert his eyes... And every time he got closer to me, Dewey suddenly jerked his head back. It was odd, and he's never done it since.

Mind you, Dewey is CONSTANTLY socializes during classes and such. So I just found it weird, and out of character for him.

i always make the joke that maybe he knew what was coming LOL

[Skyrivers]

So clearly I am not the only one. I don't think Rainbow would bite him but boy did she let her feelings be known. When she pissed on him she spayed it out. You could tell it was a "GET THE HELL AWAY" on her part. Once she was back on me was noticeably adverse to his presence. After he left she mellowed and slowed her breathing. 10 minuets later was back to normal self. They seam to know things we don't sometimes.

[Team Slytherin]

Haha, sometimes I swear it's me they don't like! But yeah, mine tolerate other people holding them, but will eventually try to come back to me. Familiar scent, I guess. I know it sounds incredulous, but when my scrub met my little sister, it TOTALLY freaked him out! He started to go to her, then jumped back to face me (he was on my arm and I was trying to pass him off). I swear, he looked me in the face, then turned to look at her, and back to me as if to say, "who is that imposter?! She looks like my mom, but doesn't smell like her. What is this witchcraft?!"

Once I finally passed him off, he spent a lot of time studying her face. Was really interesting to watch...though she felt a bit unnerved

[Bogertophis]

...Once I finally passed him off, he spent a lot of time studying her face. Was really interesting to watch...though she
felt a bit unnerved

I've had snakes that studied my face too, flicking their tongues on my eyelashes & all that. It's NOT 100% safe either- your snake could potentially decide
to bite in a panic, so while this may not be a good idea, it is something I've experienced before & each time, the snake seemed satisfied that I was "safe".
Each time I remained very still, knowing the snake was curious but it might have easily gotten startled had I moved at the wrong time. I do find it fascinating
the way snakes seem to decide whether or not to trust us.