I think my snake loves me

[MontyNSpike]

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!

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.

[NightLad]

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.

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.

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

[Jake_Snake]

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.

[MelissaFlipski]

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!

[FireproofGorilla]

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!)

[Crazydude]

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

[MelissaFlipski]

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?

[Crazydude]

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

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

[MelissaFlipski]

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.

[k631000]

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!!