BP intelligence/emotion?

[KingWheatley]

He sounds like a really happy, laid back dude to me.

Very much so. The only time he gets any bit of antsy (as I quickly figured out...) is when he needs to poop....

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23979455 I haven't had time to read through this but it looks very interesting. I think reptiles are underestimated.

The brain of any/all animals are quite complex in structure. I enjoy reading about brains, especially ours. Curiously, I tried the mirror test on Wheatley to judge how intelligent he is. He did what some cats do. Look, try and get around the animal into the world beyond it, realize there is resistance, then he moved a bit and observed the "other snake." At no point did he start panicking. It may have just been because he was in my hand and felt safe, but I would like to believe that he has at least shown a level of intelligence equal of that to a cat when it comes to the awareness of self test. (Cats typically fail/ignore the test after picking up on the fact they can't get past the other cat in the mirror. Very few will actually pass it. Another good technique in this is approaching directly behind the animal. If they see you in the mirror and turn around to look at you, it could mean they are actually aware of themselves in the mirror. However trying this with Wheatley, he, of course, paid more attention to the hand in the mirror that seemingly was coming towards him and tried to climb on.)

"my BP loves me", "My BP hates me" "my BP loves to cuddles" etc they do no possess that capability.

Emotions are located in the frontal lobe of the brain, which does not exist in snakes.

Love is a very broad term that seems to fit many different things. In one definition, love is simply the protective instinct within us. In another, it's a connection between two parties of knowing/understanding. Personally, I feel that love is not really an emotion, but a level of bonding. Wheatley knows/remembers my scent, and is comfortable being around me. He likes my warmth, and feels safe. He's fallen asleep on me before. Though there is nothing clearly indicative of a bond, I think it's unfair to claim that they cannot bond to their handlers.

If handling is always a terrifying experience, the snake is going to have a hard time learning that there's nothing to be afraid of.

Rest assuredly, my BP has definitely associated my smell with safety and comfort. It's gotten to the point that instead of picking him up from his tank, I'll lay my hand near him, and once he smells me out, he starts climbing up my arm.