Snake cognitive ability and affection.

[kiiarah]

I think this is a really interesting question because my little guy has surprised me at every turn with his attitude and personality. I got him expecting what everyone says to expect, an animal that would only tolerate handling and would likely be skittish and/or nippy at times. It has been nearly a year and he remains exceedingly tolerant, friendly, and curious. He has made a habit of stretching out towards my nose when we are sitting together, he likes to rest his chin on me and for all the world seems to be looking for attention at times. I will make a full disclaimer here and state that I realize that it is easy to read too much into their behavior, but there have been a few instances in particular where he really does seem to be eager for interaction. He has not balled, hissed or stuck once since I got him. He doesn't shy away when I gently stroke his chin, or even when I give him a light kiss on his nose. I don't think I could say he is feeling affection towards me when he does this, but he is absolutely not fearful. Somehow he seems to recognize that I mean him no harm and definitely responds differently to people he is used to than he does to newcomers.

What really has led me to question the general perception of snakes and the bonds they form, and just their overall intelligence, is the rare instances in which I have to do something that I know he dislikes due to an issue that may be problematic if left unaddressed. One case of this was just the other night when I noticed he had a dent in his eye cap. His humidity is spot on, I am obsessive about it, so I think he may have just rested against something for too long. Either way he was preparing to go into a shed cycle. I was doing research into the issue and whether there was anything I needed to do about it. The number one recommendation was to spray the area with water, or to soak. I have heard people voice concerns about soaking snakes, specifically that it may be detrimental to good shedding, so I didn't want to chance that. The problem is he HATES spray bottles, they are the one thing that will send him into a panic. I have spent the last ten months carefully demonstrating to him that he can trust me, I couldn't imagine spraying him in the face intentionally when even spraying his substrate seems to terrify him. After reading that dents can cause them to retain the eye cap during shed I knew I had to do something, so I resolved that his health had to be placed above his views of me. Still, I was really upset about it because it felt like a betrayal and I was sure he would never really trust me again. Shockingly he didn't even flinch, his eye returned to normal within about 2 minutes and he seemed to immediately perk up and spent about the next half hour intent on being right in my face. I still don't know quite what to make of this, because it sure looked like he knew I was trying to help him and chose to cooperate. Maybe he just trusts me enough to know he is safe when I am holding him, but that seems like a stretch.

Another similar occasion, and one that utterly rules out the trust theory, occurred about two weeks after he came home. He had a badly retained shed (the first and only one since, thank goodness) and had about 2/3 of his skin from just below his neck all the way down his tail left on. I soaked him and gently held him while working at any loose areas until he was fully shed. This took about 45 minutes and the whole time he sat perfectly calm with his head resting on my collar bone. Again, this defies any perception I have of how a snake would behave when being "restrained" by a large animal that they should instinctually view as a predator. I would think he would be frantically trying to get away, especially given that I was messing with him by trying to help the skin to come off. He hadn't known me long enough to have built up that kind of trust yet. The only explanation I can find is that he realized what I was trying to do and knew he could use the help. It was like he supressed instinct for the greater goal, as crazy as I am sure that sounds.

He does all kinds of smaller things like this. I notice on a regular basis that when I put him back after handling at night he will sit with his nose poking out of the hide. This isn't unusual, but it does seem unusual that he will wait like this until we come in to go to bed, at which point he calmly curls up in his hide. I go in and out of that room between handling and bedtime, so it isn't just the fact that we have come into the room. It is almost like he waits to be taken back out and when we come in and get in bed he knows that isn't happening. I can walk up to the tank to check on him and he will extend slightly farther out, if I leave again he just keeps waiting. We even have a ritual after feeding since he always seems to get at least some annoying eco-earth in his mouth. I will put my finger beside him and he will rub his mouth on it. This could also be instinct to some extent, but I would expect a more negative response to my hand in his tank when he has just eaten. Another disclaimer, I know there is some risk that I could be bit doing this, I prefer to try to assist him if possible and am not concerned about a bite. Even if it happened, it would be a minor injury at best. I don't think swallowing it would hurt him, or that he needs my help necessarily, but he seems bothered by it so I like to at least try to help him out. That being said, I do believe he knows who I am and understands that I am not a threat. I definitely believe they are much smarter than they are given credit for. Would I say he loves me, no. However, it seems clear that he feels safe with me and I am honored that he has given me as much of his trust as he has.