They are smarter than what most people give them credit for. Before going on a 5 week vacation, I dropped my snakes off at a buddies house. When i went to get them back, my buddy went to grab my normally docile spider bp and she began to hiss and strike at him. He told me that she had been doing this since she got there. I got her home and she was completely fine. Every day since then she has been fine. It is evident that they are able to recognize people (most likely by scent) and can have a deeper "trust" with them. And they certainly have different personalities. I have a fat lazy one, a shy one, an aggressive one, a curious one, and the calm friendly one. All have distinct personalities and act different than each other.