Reptile Personalities

[Bluebonnet Herp]

I'm not sure you can domesticate millions of years of evolution in snakes. I mean sure, they "learn" that this giant who smells like X wont hurt me and yes the mental stimulation from coming outside the cage might "excite" them but i imagine its more about, "i know there is no food in this cage, but there might be food outside in this other place, lets check around". While i do agree that reptiles do have a form of intelligence, you sure aren't going to get your ball python to chase a ball and bring it back to you or wake you up if there is a fire in your house to save your life.

Domestication has no solid definition. Mink are considered domesticated, and they're evil as hell. It took 50 years to domesticate silver foxes to a neonatal ("dog-like") form, and approx. 30 years for a strictly carnivorous lizard to become herbivorous. On the other hand, koi (Cyprinus carpio haematopterus) are considered a completely separate, domesticated subspecies from the common carp, (Cyprinus carpio carpio) and the only difference is that koi have a more ornamental appearance. Sound familiar?
Animal genetics are ever changing; ever mutating, and happen at a faster rate than previously thought. Acting like a playful dog or taking millions of years to process is not a requirement of domestication, but serving any human purpose and evolving a distinct form in an artificial environment is. Many of our reptiles are undergoing the same process ornamental fish went through several decades ago - and all for the same reason, serving as a strictly ornamental animal. Give it another few decades or so, especially once something such as the practice of importing dies down, and let the captive populations become genetically isolated from the wild populations. It'd be interesting to see the morphological - and behavioral - differences develop. I know genetic isolation of captive populations of the gargoyle gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) and the crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus) are literally changing in their shape, especially of the former, as their crests and horns begin to change in shape and size.

While they certainly won't be chasing toy balls or seeking affection, I reckon, through artificial selection, that their morphology will continue changing, as well as their disposition should a genetic tendency for tameness be selected as well.

On another note, who knows what a snake thinks? I'm certain they completely lack any internal dialogue. However, their bodies and their brains seem to be well built for exploring and memorizing locations and it probably wouldn't hurt to get their mental gears turning, and get some calories burning as they map out their nearby surroundings, so long as supervision is given so that they don't wedge themselves inside a dresser or the couch. I've noticed at least two of mine who seemed genuinely curious over otherwise useless objects, such as wires, for whatever unknown reason, constantly smelling them with their tongue and inspecting every side of them.