I think my snake loves me

[Ginevive]

Not that i am aware of (Them breeding behind my back ,i meen)I am sure it is possiable and may have happened?I myself do not beleive in breeding Ball Pythons,i meen if it happens it happens,i have had my fare share of baby Ball Pythons born right here and it was hard enough time to just find good homes for them all.But there are so many around here at least that people get and think,"Oh i am going to breed these guys and make a ton of money",that they find out the hard way,that it kinda,not works that way,at least around here,that alot of them end up in crappy homes and then get passed to a even crappier home and then usally end up here with us,and i end up treating them,for what problems they endure and then find good forever homes for.I do beleive certain allmost extinc reptiles (Monkey Tail Skinks,Mertins Water Monitors,White Throat Monitors,ect...)Should be bred for the simple fact that there numbers are allmost gone in the wild.But not all reptiles should be bred for the fact of a quick buck.

Am i missing something here? How can one say that BPs should not be bred.. and then, allow a male and a female BP to live in the same enclosure? Please do explain.

[Rascal]

I don't think they have the capacity for love, but they definitely have emotion. They can feel stressed, and they can feel relaxed. How much further you want to go with that is up to you.

The part of the brain that deals with social aspects is greatly reduced in a snake. They don't take care of their young either so I'd say they don't "love". But that doesn't mean they can't feel emotion, just that they may not be able to express it.

[recycling goddess]

actually there is a snake which cares for it's young. we were watching it on steve austin... and it stayed with it's young - protecting them.

can't remember what it was though... hubby thinks it was an african rock python.

[longviewbplover]

I think my snake shows it affections by they it acts around me, when she sees me come up to her tank she gets active like she knows she might get to come out, and when I do have her out she seems to enjoy when I rub the top of her head and chin. She wont pull away and sometimes she even rubs her head on my hand.

[qiksilver]

I'm not saying either way, I didnt even vote, but come on guys psych 101, our emotions come from the most primitive parts of our brain.
http://www.crystalinks.com/reptilianbrain.html

[wildlifewarrior]

I'm not saying either way, I didnt even vote, but come on guys psych 101, our emotions come from the most primitive parts of our brain.
http://www.crystalinks.com/reptilianbrain.html

I don't think that link is saying that they are generated from the "reptilian" section of brain, i think it is saying that they have evolved from the original reptilian brain. (just a side note, it isn't the best resourse site)

Quote From your site "It's 'preverbal', but controls life functions such as autonomic brain, breathing, heart rate and the fight or flight mechanism....It's concerned with fundamental needs such as survival, physical maintenance, hoarding, dominance, preening and mating. It is also found in lower life forms such as lizards, crocodiles and birds."

Just because there is part of our brain is called reptilian, doesn't mean it reacts the same way a reptile's would. Basic human emotions can be linked to the more primitive sections of the brain this is true but, there has been millions of years of evolution both between reptiles and mammals as well as reptiles to humans. As it is true that over this trek of evolution the human brain has evolved different portions of the brain to control emotions and actions.(Leiberman, 2001) People tend to anthropomorphize alot and not think about what their capabilities really are. If you step on a snake he will respond with a fight or flight response. If provoked and not given a way to retreat the animal will fight, often called aggression by people. When mating and a battle ensues between males (still talking reptiles) people term this aggression, when it is really just a display of physical fitness and who is more fit to mate with the females (fitness reffering to their genetic ability to sire young).

I will say in my opinion mammals have a more evolved brain therefore i believe that they do feel some level of emotion, for instance a dog will know it shouldn't be happy if it went to the bathroom on the carpet, but a snake will never realize that it was wrong by bitting the hand that feeds.

For those of you who feel your reptile does love you, i am not trying to disuade you all from feeling that way, not at all. i just wanted everyone to understand the definition of the reptilian brain both in reguards to humans and actual reptiles. Feel free to read that article on the bottom (just google it), it is very interesting.

~mike

Leiberman, Phillip. 2001. Human Language and Our Reptilian Brain: The Subcortical Bases of Speech, Syntax, and Thought. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. Volume 44, Number 1, pp. 32-51

[wildlifewarrior]

actually there is a snake which cares for it's young. we were watching it on steve austin... and it stayed with it's young - protecting them.

can't remember what it was though... hubby thinks it was an african rock python.

I agree they care for their young (more commonly know in crocodilians )with protection to help ensure their genetic information and physical investment makes it to adult hood and breeding capabilities. I think anacondas hang out around mom for protection but not sure. This is also why mamma snakes are aggressive when gravid or coiled around eggs.

mike

[Angel3wolf]

Well I do not know about all snakes but I do know about BP'S and yes I can say that I do think they know if they like a person or not I have a female and a male Bp and when I have either one out they love to stay on me and hang out with me no matter what I am doing. My BP'S are just for my pets only and no I do not breed them and yes I am with them alot and I enjoy them that is the whole reason for having pets in our lives is to be able to care for them and love them uncondtionley and enjoy the time we have with them and I am talking about from a pet point of veiw and no I do not beleive the part about all they think about is food if that was the case you would never be able to hold them without getting bit all the time. So if they can think and can stress out when they are not happy that right there should tell people that they are smart to some point and are not dum. I mean hay they know when they are hungry and know how to kill there prey before they eat it so I it would be wise for people not to always think they are dum. So I vote that they know how they feel about a person and if they like them I just do not know about if they are capable of love. But that is just my opion I just have a careing heart when it comes to my pets and no there is nothing wrong with that either even if it is a snake.

[andwhy6]

my snakes are boys... so they arent gay lol

[tweets_4611]

I don't know about snakes loving or not, but I defiately believe that they recognise you. I have noticed a big difference in the way that my girl and my friends snakes act when they are being handled by their owner and when they are being handled by someone else. My Lilly will get comfertable when I'm holding her and just chill out. Maybe explore a bit, but she's pretty relaxed when I have her. When my mom was holding her (I don't live at home, so she doesn't see Lilly much) Lilly was much more active, not frantic really, but definately looking for somewhere else to go. Even when my mom would hand her back to me, she would calm down again. I konw it's not real affection, but I kinda consider it as such. My girly knows me and trusts me, and I love her!! haha