Reptile Personalities

[Boomerang]

So I did a search and didn't see much about reptile personalities other than random anecdotal occurrences.

Many people think reptiles are not able to have personality. So many other species do have individual personalities, but what about your snakes?

I understand some snake species are more docile, forgiving and seemingly social while others are just plain aggressive and recluse.

My 2 month old ball python female seems to honestly want to be held by me. For instance last night she was going back-and-forth in the front of her terrarium seemingly wanting out. So I got her out and all she wanted to do was wrap herself around me, put her head down on my hand and go to sleep. I understand that as a human mammal I produce heat, which she likes. So probably it's more of a "I know what I want and how to get it (specific warmth), but I'm wondering if other's have examples of where they thought personality was showing as affection of some kind rather than instinctual need-based seeming affection?

[DVirginiana]

I think they have their own personalities, but they definitely don't have the emotional capability that a mammal does. I think a lot of it has to do with their metabolisms as well; my garters which have a much faster metabolism than a BP are much more curious and sociable. I think the garters at least have a curiosity towards me, even if it's not quite what I'd call affection.

I have a turtle that acts about like a cat though. I'll walk in and find her on her hind legs watching the door to see when I'm coming back. She'll also follow me around and beg for neckrubs. So as far as reptiles in general having personalities and wanting us for something other than an instinctual need for heat I think some definitely have that capability.

[gameonpython]

My ball python seems to really enjoy chin scratches.


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[anicatgirl]

For sure they know who feeds, cleans up after, and takes care of them. Mine reacts differently to me than she does to any other person. I would consider it a sort of affection if mine tries to leave someone else holding her to come to me

[Yamitaifu]

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.

[Jhill001]

Most reptile intelligence tests were done in the 60's and 70's using laboratory conditions they used to test rats and mice. What no one thought about is that labs are cold as heck and the animals just shut down and appeared to be dumb. They are doing new studies taking this temperature into account and are finding that reptiles may be ALOT smarter than we originally thought.

They obviously have personalities because otherwise they would all act the same. Does any reptile LIKE being held, I'm not sure. I doubt it. I think most holding comes along with feeding, cage cleaning and stuff like that. I feed my snakes in a separate container so usually when I pick them up they are learning that food is coming most likely so there is less tail rattling and being goofy.

[Jhill001]

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/sc...upid.html?_r=0

[Skiploder]

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.

No. They are about as dumb as most people give them credit for.

You described an incident regarding stress with unfamiliar surroundings and scents. Nothing less, nothing more.

[Bluebonnet Herp]

Studies have found snakes have a capacity to learn. Individuals will also act differently than one another, and generalizations of species (african rocks and bloods supposedly being aggressive or all balls being docile, for example) have been shown to be false on several occasions. I'm of the opinion reptiles in general are just a few steps short of birds. (do note that birds, as well as other reptiles, do not have the same brain structures of mammals, however, they're capable of some of the same thought processes, tasks and emotions)
Temperature also plays a very important part in their mental capabilities as well; warmth causing quicker learning.

However, one thing does not change, and that's just how simple a snake 'wants' to live its life. All their mental capabilities are geared towards doing just that. They can remember things for months, if not potentially years, however, that specific thing they're remembering is where that nice cozy den is and how to get there, or what trail those delicious rats are cruising along every night so they can ambush them.
I also think the notion that snakes go towards people or wrap around them because people are warm is false. Not because I believe they're showing affection towards people, but simply because they don't always like being warm in the first place, and they can overheat. The best sort of mental stimulation, if any, that you could give to a snake is probably an occasional chance to explore, as it seems as if their minds are geared specifically towards doing that according to the way studies make it look. New smells, different water holes, new dark places, even tracking a scent trail of a dead mouse across the living room. (there's a video out there on the youtubes of one person who did just that)
It's also worth noting that snakes' closest relatives, phylogenetically speaking, are iguanids, agamids, and monitors, all of which are some of the smartest known reptiles there are.

A snake will never compare to a dog or even a cat with how much they want to spend time with a person, but I wouldn't put individual recognition beyond them, and it's possible for them to recognize and trust a specific individual human more than any other human. That is, of course, granted that snake doesn't already hate all humans in the first place.


Overall though, it's still a very muddy topic with the science still in its infancy. The best way to find out with what we have now is to collect a bunch of different snakes yourself, and to observe and interact with them often by yourself, therefor coming up with your own conclusion.

[gameonpython]

Studies have found snakes have a capacity to learn. Individuals will also act differently than one another, and generalizations of species (african rocks and bloods supposedly being aggressive or all balls being docile, for example) have been shown to be false on several occasions. I'm of the opinion reptiles in general are just a few steps short of birds. (do note that birds, as well as other reptiles, do not have the same brain structures of mammals, however, they're capable of some of the same thought processes, tasks and emotions)
Temperature also plays a very important part in their mental capabilities as well; warmth causing quicker learning.

However, one thing does not change, and that's just how simple a snake 'wants' to live its life. All their mental capabilities are geared towards doing just that. They can remember things for months, if not potentially years, however, that specific thing they're remembering is where that nice cozy den is and how to get there, or what trail those delicious rats are cruising along every night so they can ambush them.
I also think the notion that snakes go towards people or wrap around them because people are warm is false. Not because I believe they're showing affection towards people, but simply because they don't always like being warm in the first place, and they can overheat. The best sort of mental stimulation, if any, that you could give to a snake is probably an occasional chance to explore, as it seems as if their minds are geared specifically towards doing that according to the way studies make it look. New smells, different water holes, new dark places, even tracking a scent trail of a dead mouse across the living room. (there's a video out there on the youtubes of one person who did just that)
It's also worth noting that snakes' closest relatives, phylogenetically speaking, are iguanids, agamids, and monitors, all of which are some of the smartest known reptiles there are.

A snake will never compare to a dog or even a cat with how much they want to spend time with a person, but I wouldn't put individual recognition beyond them, and it's possible for them to recognize and trust a specific individual human more than any other human. That is, of course, granted that snake doesn't already hate all humans in the first place.


Overall though, it's still a very muddy topic with the science still in its infancy. The best way to find out with what we have now is to collect a bunch of different snakes yourself, and to observe and interact with them often by yourself, therefor coming up with your own conclusion.

What a wonderful comment! I can see how birds and reptiles could be compared. Although birds are highly intelligent, a few reptiles out there are pretty intelligent too. Iguanas, for example.

I really enjoy how much a snake or any reptile for that matter wants to live. Considering they lead such a boring life(to me anyway) they want to keep going for as long as possible! Maybe that determination is what helps them live such long lives compared to most mammals.

I completely agree on the fact that they like exploring! My marshall is the best periscoper! He constantly is looking around, then coming back to me for a while, and then he looks around some more even my frogs will try desperately to escape, I've tried taking them out for 5 minutes and they are completely content. Most of the time though I think the frogs are just hungry.... They really are dumb lol.


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