Quote Originally Posted by LivingwithBalls View Post
Sorry I didn't know it was necessary that I reply to that comment. Of course I would like to handle him, but I have not been and don't plan to.

He rarely moves around when I handle him, other than to find a good spot to sleep. I can honestly say he has never balled up while I handle him, unless he's in blue( I don't typically handle him during this time unless necessary btw).

May I ask what the mental capabilities of a snake are? Apparently nobody knows what snakes think, so how do you know he sees me as a "giant monster?" I mean for all we know they could be as intelligent as a dog or as dumb as a clam.

Thanks for the book title.


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It's not necessary for you to reply to anything, but until this post you sounded like you had the intention of ignoring everyone's advice, hence the snippy responses. You were curious as to why people were getting short with you, and that's why.

I don't know my snakes think of me as a big scary monster. I do know that she displays stress behaviors such as searching when I handle her.

Actually we do know they are less intelligent than a dog and more intelligent than a clam. There are different types of learning and memory that define what we typically think of as intelligence.
The clam displays only what we call basic Hebbian Principle-- the ability to form an unconscious association between two unrelated stimuli. Even flatworms can do this, and they lack brains only having diffuse neural ganglia.
The dog displays long-term memory and object permanence. A dog's conscious behavior will change after being in a situation to manipulate a desired outcome such as getting a treat. They also display knowledge that something exists even when it isn't in their direct line of sight (the towel test).

The snake falls somewhere between these. While they can certainly form Hebbian associations and consciously modify their behavior based on short-term memories and perceptions, they lack object permanence (mine can't even grasp that a mouse's head still exists when she is looking for it and is laying on it)

I'm seriously loving this chance to drag out all my neuro coursework knowledge!